Caffe latte is a popular espresso-based drink consisting of a shot or more of espresso topped with steamed milk and a small amount of milk foam. In everyday use it refers to a milky coffee beverage often ordered in Italian-style cafes, though the term is widely adopted in English-speaking contexts. The phrase combines an Italian coffee culture term with the English word latte, signifying milk in Italian.
"I’ll have a caffe latte with a double shot and no sugar."
"The cafe lists a caffe latte as their most balanced morning coffee."
"She sipped a caffe latte while reading the newspaper."
"In Italy, a caffe latte is typically enjoyed at breakfast with biscotti."
The term caffe latte originates from Italian. Caffe comes from caffeina, ultimately linked to caffè, meaning coffee; latte means milk. In Italian, caffe latte literally translates to ‘coffee milk,’ signifying espresso with added milk. In the early 20th century, caffe latte emerged in Italian eateries as a lighter morning beverage. The practice of combining strong espresso with steamed milk evolved in Italy and was later adopted by English-speaking cafes and chains worldwide. The form latte is borrowed intact from Italian, while the article is borrowed as a compound noun without inflection. In many markets, caffe latte is used as a fixed phrase, sometimes hyphenated as caffe-latte in older menus. First known print attestations in English-language menus date from mid-20th century, reflecting both Italian culinary influence and the global coffee culture’s expansion.
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Words that rhyme with "Caffe Latte"
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Commonly pronounced as ka-FAY-eh LAH-teh in careful speech or kah-FAY-lay-tee in some casual variants; standard IPA: US /kæˈfeɪ ˈlɑːteɪ/, UK /ˌkæˈfeɪ ˈlɒteɪ/. Focus on maintaining two-stress pattern with primary stress on the second syllable of latte; keep latte as two syllables: LAH-teh. The first word is two syllables with a soft ‘e’ as in ‘eh’. Lip rounding: mid-front /æ/ for “ca-,” then /eɪ/ as a diphthong, followed by /lɑː/ or /lɒ/ then /teɪ/. Audio reference: listen to native speakers on Pronounce or Forvo and mirror mouth positions.
Mistakes include flattening the first word to a single syllable (ka-fee) or pronouncing latte as LAH-tee with a short vowel. Correct pronunciation requires: ka-FAY-eh with final schwa-like e in Italian, and LAH-teh with a clear long ‘a’ and final ‘eh’ sound. Another error is stressing latte too lightly or making it ‘lat-tee’ in English rather than ‘LAH-teh.’ Practice by saying ka-FAY-eh (two distinct vowels) and LAH-teh (two syllables) clearly.
In US English, latte often becomes LAH-tay with a prominent second syllable stress; in more careful usage, it remains LAH-teh with closer to Italian vowels. UK English typically preserves the two-syllable latte with /ˈlɒt.eɪ/ or /ˈlɑː.teɪ/ depending on speaker; American tends toward /ˈlɑː.teɪ/. Australian tends to be similar to US but with a more centralized /eɪ/ quality and slightly rounded /ɒ/ or /ɑː/. The first word often dips towards ka-FAY-eh; in casual speech, you might hear kah-FAY lay-tee.
Key challenges include maintaining the Italian-influenced vowel sequence ka-FAY-eh and the final -e in latte, which in English becomes a longer vowel sound and sometimes a silent-? ending is dropped. The second word demands a clear LAH-teh with a non-stressed middle consonant cluster; many speakers drop the final /e/ or turn the /eɪ/ into a simpler /e/. Also, the two-word stress pattern can be confusing: the second word can carry primary stress in casual American speech. Practicing the Italian vowels helps reduce these mistakes.
Key unique aspect is the combination of an Italian, non-English vowel sequence in caffe (ka-FAY-eh) with a distinct English latte (LAH-teh). Focus on producing the two Italian vowels /a/, /e/ in quick succession and then transitioning to the English /lɑːteɪ/ or /ˈlɒteɪ/. The accent should preserve the clean separation between syllables and avoid conflating vowels across words. Listening to native speakers on Pronounce and shadowing will help solidify this pattern.
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