Al Dente

You say it as al DEN-teh, with primary stress on the second word. IPA: US ˌæl ˈdɛn.te; UK ˌæl ˈden.te; AU ˌæl ˈden.tɪ. The first syllable is a short ‘a’ as in cat, then a clear ‘d’ onset in the second syllable, and the final ‘e’ sounds like a short ‘e’ in 'bed'. Think of the second syllable as ‘den’ with a light final consonant. Audio resources linked in Pronounce can provide native intonation.

Common errors: pronouncing it as a single word (all-dente) or anglicizing the second syllable to ‘den-tee’ with long i; misplacing stress on the first word; blending the two words too tightly. Correction: pause between al and dente, keep the second syllable nosing into place with clear ‘e’ at the end; maintain the short, crisp ‘e’ in ‘dente’ and avoid over-enunciating the final vowel. Practice with slow tempo to lock the two-word rhythm.

In US, the second syllable has a crisp ‘e’ as in ‘bet,’ with a non-rhotic R avoidance. UK speakers keep /ˈden.te/ with a short, crisp vowel and lighter final vowel. Australian English often reduces the final vowel slightly, sounding ‘den-tuh’ in casual speech, but can be closer to /ˈden.te/ in careful speech. Across all, stress remains on the second word; the initial al keeps a reduced schwa-like onset in fast speech.

The challenge lies in maintaining two distinct syllables with a clean boundary and producing the short, crisp final vowel /e/ in ‘dente’ while avoiding a trailing /i/ or /ɪ/. Italian prosody also relies on crisp consonant release in /d/ and a stable alveolar tap for the final /t/ before a vowel, requiring precise tongue position. Practice helps align the two-word rhythm and reduces slurring.

Yes—each word carries its own pitch and rhythm; the second word carries the main stress. There’s also a subtle vowel distinction: the first syllable ‘Al’ typically has a lax, near-schwa onset, while ‘Dente’ uses a short, clipped /e/. This makes it important to separate the syllables briefly at first, then blend with a natural mouth closure as you become more fluent.