Everyone knows that guacamole is fresh and delicious. What not everyone knows is how to pronounce “guacamole”. Let’s face it: it’s a difficult word! But don’t worry: in today’s post, we show you how to pronounce guacamole using some real-life examples so you can order it and talk about it with confidence!
How To Pronounce “Guacamole”?
If you don’t speak Spanish, chances are that the word “guacamole” reminds you of the arcade game whack-a-mole. If your pronunciation of “guacamole” sounds like “whack-a-mole” you’re in the right ballpark, but still have work to do. Try tacking on an “eh” at the end of “whack-a-mole” and you’re golden: “Whack-a-mole-eh.”
If you are familiar with phonetic transcriptions, here’s what “guacamole” looks like: ɡwa.kaˈmo.le/,or /wa.kaˈmo.le/
Now, let’s take a look at what the pronunciation of “guacamole” sounds like in a real-life situation.
In the YouTube short below the person is asking: ¿En serio no sabes hacer un guacamole? (translation: “Do you seriously don’t know how to make guacamole?”)
Here’s American chef Rick Bayless (and brother of sports journalist Skip Bayless), famous for his mastery of Mexican cuisine, talking about guacamole:
Now, his first “guacamole” at 0:07 sounds a bit like whack-a-mole, and that’s no bueno. But then he gets it right, as you would expect from an expert like him. The way he pronounces guacamole at 1:40 and 2:02 is pretty good.
But why do some people find it hard to pronounce “guacamole”? The reason may be that “guacamole” comes from nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs. And while nahuatl was a beautiful, complex language, few people are familiar with it nowadays, even in Mexico.
However, as you can see, getting the pronunciation of guacamole right isn’t that difficult with a little help from your friends at El Pollo Norteño!
To learn more interesting facts about guacamole, check out our previous posts on the subject: “An easy (and Authentic) Guacamole Recipe” and “Guacamole vs Mole: What Is the Difference?”
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