Macchiato is a small, espresso-based coffee drink typically poured with a small amount of foamed milk. The word, borrowed from Italian, denotes “stained” or “marked” due to the milk’s mark on the surface. In coffee menus it refers to a beverage with a concentrated espresso flavor and a light milk addition, distinct from cappuccino or latte.
US: rhotic, tense vowels; UK: non-rhotic, lighter r. AU: vowel qualities between US and UK; the /æ/ can be broader. Vowel shifts: /æ/ in US, /æ/ in UK, /æ/ in AU; the /ɑː/ or /ɒː/ in the stressed syllable; the final /o/ may be /oʊ/ in casual speech in US, or /tə/ in UK/AU.
"I ordered a macchiato with a splash of vanilla syrup."
"The barista prepared a traditional macchiato, mostly espresso with a tiny dollop of milk foam on top."
"My afternoon pick-me-up is a double macchiato, served in a small ceramic cup."
"She prefers a macchiato over a latte when she wants less milk but more espresso flavor."
Macchiato comes from Italian macchiato, meaning “stained” or “spotted.” The term derives from the past participle of macchiare, “to stain” or “to mark,” from Latin maculare. In Italian, macchiato historically described coffee “stained” by a small amount of milk. The usage extended to beverages: a shot of espresso “stained” by a dab of milk foam. The first known culinary use appears in 19th- to early-20th-century Italian coffee culture, aligning with other coffee beverage names that describe appearance or preparation. In English, macchiato entered common usage in the late 20th century, popularized by coffee shops that defined the drink as an espresso with added milk foam, distinguishing it from long or short drinks like latte or cappuccino. The word retains its feminine noun form in Italian, and English-speakers adapted the pronunciation to reflect English phonotactics while preserving the original meaning of “marked.”
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Macchiato" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Macchiato"
-tio sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as ma-kkee-AH-toh, with primary stress on the third syllable: /mæk.iˈɑː.tə/ (US) or /ˌmæk.iˈɒː.tə/ (UK). Start with a clear /mæ/ as in man, then /k/ followed by /i/ (short i). The stressed syllable carries /ˈɑː/ or /ˈɒː/ depending on accent, and end with /tə/ (tuh). Note that in rapid speech the vowels can be reduced slightly; keep the 'a' during the stressed part sharp. For audio reference, listen to a native barista saying it in context and imitate the rhythm.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the second syllable: say /mæk.iˈɑː.to/ instead of /mæk.iˈɑː.to/. (2) Flattening the final vowel /ə/ to /ɪ/ or /oʊ/; keep it as a light schwa /ə/ or /ə/ depending on accent. (3) Mispronouncing the 'cc' as /tʃ/ or /ʃ/; it’s a hard /k/ plus /i/ glide, not a ch sound. Practice with minimal pairs and emphasize the clear /k/ followed by /i/. Listen to a native pronunciation and imitate the mouth position.
US: rhotic, clear /r/ often absent; /æ/ as in cat, /ɑː/ or /ɒː/ in stressed syllable; final /to/ with /oʊ/ or /tə/. UK: non-rhotic? Many speakers may apply clearer /ɒː/; final often /tə/ or /tə/. AU: similar to UK with slightly broader vowel qualities; the /æ/ is often a centralized vowel, and final /ə/ is pronounced more distinctly in slower speech. Overall, the main difference is vowel height and rhoticity; stress remains on the third syllable, with varied vowel realizations.
It combines a non-English loanword with Italian phonotactics: the double consonant implication isn't pronounced as a geminate in English; the rhythm is three syllables with stress on the third. The sequence /kk/ after 'ma' reduces, and the middle /i/ can be reduced or run together. The final /o/ is not always open; often a schwa or a clipped /o/. Mastering the three-syllable stress and the short /i/ is the key.
Macchiato is unique because it literally means 'stained' in Italian, referring to the espresso surface being marked by milk foam. The pronunciation preserves a clear Italian stress pattern, with emphasis on the penultimate or antepenultimate depending on dialect and word segmentation; the final vowel is often reduced in casual speech, but it should be pronounced in careful speech.
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