Slova
Quinoa is pronounced KEEN-wah, with two syllables and the stress on the first. The qui is keen, and the oa is wah. A form with three syllables, kee-NOH-uh, is also heard.
quinoa
noun · a small seed that is cooked and eaten like rice
Also said: US /kɪnˈwɑː/ or /kiːˈnoʊ.ə/; UK /kɪˈnəʊ.ə/.
IPA checked in the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. Cambridge lists KIN-wah for American English, and KEEN-wah or kih-NOH-uh for British English. Oxford lists KEEN-wah for both. The recording is American English.
Each sound in the IPA, with a word you already know that has it.
USUK American and British English/ˈkiːn.wɑː/
KEENstressed
wah
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Tip. Say KEEN-wah. The qui is keen, not kwin. The stress is on the first syllable.
Record yourself and play it next to our recording: the quickest way to hear a difference.
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quinoa
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What people often say instead, and how to fix it. Say KEEN-wah.
Notkwin-OH-uh
Reading qu as kw, as in quick. Here qui is keen.
NotKWIN-wah
Reading qu as kw and using a short i. The first part is KEEN.
NotKEE-noh-ah
Stressing the first syllable but giving it three parts. The usual form is two syllables: KEEN-wah.
Hear each one, slow it down, then say it. Words change a little when they join others, so practise them in sentences too.
I cook quinoa instead of rice.
Quinoa salad is easy and quick to make.
She added quinoa to the soup.
The usual English form is KEEN-wah, and it is the first one Oxford lists. Cambridge also lists kin-WAH for American English and kih-NOH-uh for British English. Some people say kee-NOH-uh, which Wiktionary shows for both accents.
The word is Spanish, from quinua, which comes from the Quechua word kinwa, the name of the plant in the Andes. In Quechua the first syllable is the ee of keen, and that is why English uses qui for k + ee.
The mistake to avoid is kwin-OH-uh, which comes from reading qu as kw as in quick. Here q + u + i is a k + ee. Say keen, then wah, and the word is done.
Rhymes and words that share its tricky sound. Open any of them in the checker and say it.
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