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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

cacao

/kəˈkaʊ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:49
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Listen for a different ending from “cocoa.”

In kuh-KOW, stress the ending, with the vowel in cow. Longer pronunciations are also listed.

TRY SAYING
Cacao beans.

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

What does cacao mean?

noun

  1. A tree, Theobroma cacao, whose seed is used to make chocolate.
  2. The seed of this tree, the cocoa bean.

proper noun

  1. A barangay of Hilongos, Leyte, Philippines.
More meanings (1)

noun

  1. (rare) Cocoa (hot drink).

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/kəˈkaʊ/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/kəˈkeɪ.oʊ//kəˈkɑ.oʊ/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The cacao tree produces a curious impression on account of the flowers and fruit growing directly out of the trunk and branches.
Henry Walter BatesThe Naturalist on the River AmazonsProject Gutenberg ebook #2440
Coca is not to be confused with cocoa which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter.
United States. Central Intelligence AgencyThe 1990 CIA World FactbookProject Gutenberg ebook #14
More book examples (2)
The cacao of Cumana is infinitely superior to that of Guayaquil.
Alexander von Humboldt; Aimé BonplandPersonal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1Translated by Thomasina RossProject Gutenberg ebook #6322
Some authorities assert quite positively that they had money, and mention as articles used for such purposes grains of cacao, “T” shaped pieces of tin or copper, and quills of gold dust.35 But Mr. Bandelier has shown that the word barter properly designates the transactions where such articles passed.
Emory Adams AllenThe Prehistoric World; Or, Vanished RacesProject Gutenberg ebook #2873