Skip to content
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

sesame

/ˈsɛsəmi/

Press play to hear how to pronounce sesame.

American Pronunciation Guide · 0:33
Watch on YouTube ↗
LISTEN FOR THIS

SESS-uh-mee: the ending is pronounced mee.

The first syllable has the short e of “set.” Both s sounds are unvoiced; keep the middle vowel light and the final ee unstressed.

TRY SAYING
He toasted the sesame seeds in a dry pan.

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

What does sesame mean?

noun

  1. A tropical Asian plant (Sesamum indicum) bearing small flat seeds used as food and as a source of oil.
  2. The seed of this plant.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈsɛsəmi/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

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.

According to the facts gathered by the author, which seem authentic, sesame would yield from forty-five to forty-six per cent.
P.-J. (Pierre-Joseph) ProudhonSystem of Economical Contradictions; Or, The Philosophy of MiseryProject Gutenberg ebook #444
For most people the very name of 'Raphael' is like the 'Open Sesame' of the robber chief in the old story.
Amy SteedmanKnights of Art: Stories of the Italian PaintersProject Gutenberg ebook #529
More book examples (3)
An ingenious smith might apply it to the construction of a lock which would operate at the command of 'Open, Sesame!'
John MunroHeroes of the TelegraphProject Gutenberg ebook #979
If one succeeded in passing the porter, which was not easy,—which was even nearly impossible for every one, for there was an open sesame!
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
It is the open sesame to their hearts and homes, and after that the house contains nothing too good to bestow upon the welcome guest.
J. A. (Joseph Amasa) MunkArizona SketchesProject Gutenberg ebook #756