Pronunciation

How to pronounce “jalapeno

“jalapeno” is pronounced /ˌhɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ/ (hah-luh-PAY-nyoh) in American English and /ˌhaləˈpeɪnjəʊ/ in British English, and /ˌdʒæləˈpinoʊ/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “jalapeno” in 4 beats

Say it like this

jalapeno

/ˌhɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˌhaləˈpeɪnjəʊ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

4 beats
  1. jal
  2. ap
  3. enpeɪnstress
  4. ojoʊ
IPA (American)
/ˌhɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ/
IPA (British)
/ˌhaləˈpeɪnjəʊ/
Also accepted
/ˌdʒæləˈpinoʊ/
Respelling
hah-luh-PAY-nyoh
Syllables
4 — jal-ap-EN-o
Stress
Stress the third syllable: jal-ap-EN-o. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌhɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ/

British

/ˌhaləˈpeɪnjəʊ/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Watch out

Where “jalapeno” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    jal-uh-PEE-no

    the Spanish j is an h sound and the ñ gives a ny: hah-luh-PAY-nyoh

Meaning

What “jalapeno” means

  1. noun

    plant bearing very hot and finely tapering long peppers; usually red

  2. noun

    hot green or red pepper of southwestern United States and Mexico

Say it in a sentence

One jalapeno was enough heat for the whole pot.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

jalapeno”, answered

How do you pronounce “jalapeno”?

“jalapeno” is pronounced /ˌhɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ/ (hah-luh-PAY-nyoh) in American English and /ˌhaləˈpeɪnjəʊ/ in British English, and /ˌdʒæləˈpinoʊ/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as jal-ap-EN-o, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “jalapeno” have?

4: jal · ap · en · o. The beat lands on the third, “en”.

Is “jalapeno” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌhɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ/ (hah-luh-PAY-nyoh); British English says /ˌhaləˈpeɪnjəʊ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “jalapeno” mean?

As a noun: plant bearing very hot and finely tapering long peppers; usually red For example: “One jalapeno was enough heat for the whole pot.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “jalapeno”?

Stress the third syllable: jal-ap-EN-o. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “jalapeno” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.