FREE LISTENING WORKSHEET · APG

Menu words with surprising spellings

Listen, notice one detail, and say the word in a phrase.

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Videos and full notes: https://ipronounce.io/guides/menu-word-pronunciation

Name: ________________________　 Date: __________________

This lesson’s listening targets

Say each menu word in a short ordering phrase and recognize where another accepted pronunciation may differ.

Pasta names: beginnings and endings. Compare the opening n-y glide in gnocchi with the sk in bruschetta. Give the stressed syllable its space in the longer words.
J, ñ, ll, and gu. Compare the h in jalapeño and fajita, the final vowels of tortilla, and the g-w opening of guacamole. Listen before trying them in a phrase.
Find the main beat. Practice bouillon as BOOL-yun, stressing the first syllable. Carafe and rotisserie stress their second syllable, while aperitif saves its main beat for the end.

A five-word listening round

Choose five words below. Open each linked word and play its APG video.
Write one sound observation: the strongest syllable, a silent letter, a consonant connection, or a variant you hear.
Say the original practice phrase, then write and say your own sentence.
Read the word’s listening note and compare it with your observation. Repeat any word you want to revisit.

Your listening record — choose five, then return for another round
Word & video	Practice phrase	What I hear / my sentence
bolognese	The kitchen smelled of simmering bolognese sauce.
cannelloni	The cannelloni arrived covered in tomato sauce.
gnocchi	Gnocchi with tomato sauce.
bruschetta	Bruschetta for the table.
jalapeño	She removed the seeds from a jalapeño.
tortilla	He warmed a tortilla in the skillet.
guacamole	We made guacamole for the picnic.
fajita	She ordered a vegetable fajita.
bouillon	She stirred a spoonful of bouillon into the pan.
carafe	A glass carafe of water stood on the table.
aperitif	They served a small aperitif before dinner.
rotisserie	A chicken turned slowly on the rotisserie.

Test your pronunciation knowledge

Choose one answer for each question. The answer key includes explanations and source links.

Which endings are used in English pronunciations of “bolognese”?
1. Only NESS
2. Only NOHZ
3. Both NAYZ and NEEZ
How does “gnocchi” begin when pronounced NYOH-kee?
1. n followed by a brief y glide
2. A separate guh syllable before n
3. The j sound in jam
Which consonants are used in English pronunciations of “bruschetta”?
1. Only sh, as in she
2. Both sk, as in skate, and sh, as in she
3. Only ch, as in chair
Which consonant details fit a common English pronunciation of “jalapeño”?
1. j as in jam, then a plain n
2. A silent j, then ng as in sing
3. h at the start, then n followed by a y glide for ñ
What happens to ll in “tortilla”?
1. It does not produce an English l sound.
2. It produces two separate l sounds.
3. It adds a stressed lay syllable.
Which description fits the pronunciation of “guacamole”?
1. Start with g alone and stress the first syllable.
2. Start with g-w and put the main stress on MOH.
3. Start with k-w and stress the final lee.
Which syllable receives the main stress in the American pronunciation of “bouillon”?
1. The final syllable
2. Both syllables equally
3. The first syllable
Where is the main stress in “aperitif”?
1. On the final TEEF
2. On the first uh
3. Only on the earlier PER

Show the answer key

Open this section before printing to include the answers.

C. Both NAYZ and NEEZ “Bolognese” can end in NAYZ or NEEZ. Both pronunciations stress that last syllable and finish with a voiced z.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
A. n followed by a brief y glide “Gnocchi” can start /nj/: n moves directly into a y-like glide, with no hard g. Other English pronunciations include a g sound.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
B. Both sk, as in skate, and sh, as in she “Bruschetta” has both sk and sh pronunciations in English. Both place the main stress on the middle syllable: broo-SKET-uh or broo-SHET-uh.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
C. h at the start, then n followed by a y glide for ñ “Jalapeño” commonly begins with h in English and represents ñ with an n-y connection. Its main beat is on PAYN.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
A. It does not produce an English l sound. “Tortilla” can be tor-TEE-uh, moving from ee into a light uh with no l. Some pronunciations connect those vowels with a brief y sound.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
B. Start with g-w and put the main stress on MOH. Guacamole begins /ɡw/ and puts its main beat on the third syllable, MOH. The opening has a smaller beat, and the final lee is pronounced.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
C. The first syllable “Bouillon” stresses its first syllable in American English. In /ˈbʊljən/, the first vowel is the vowel in book, and the ending is a light yun.
Source: Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
A. On the final TEEF Aperitif puts its main beat on TEEF. PER has a smaller, secondary beat; keeping those two strengths distinct makes the ending clear.
Source: CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Sources & reuse

The pronunciation notes are based on the dictionary sources linked from each word page. Practice phrases and exercises are original APG learning material, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and keep the source links when adapting this worksheet. Videos and reference quotations retain their own terms.

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