3 syllables: ca, si, no. Stress on si.
kuh-SEE-noh
/kəˈsinoʊ/
casino is pronounced kuh-SEE-noh (/kəˈsinoʊ/). It has three syllables (ca-si-no), with the stress on "si". Casino is a public venue where gambling activities take place, typically including slot machines, card games, and betting. The word originates from Italian, and in EnglishUsage it primarily refers to a gambling establishment; it can also denote a place of social or public entertainment. It is pronounced with two syllables: CA- si-no, with stress on the first syllable.
Casino is a public venue where gambling activities take place, typically including slot machines, card games, and betting. The word originates from Italian, and in EnglishUsage it primarily refers to a gambling establishment; it can also denote a place of social or public entertainment. It is pronounced with two syllables: CA- si-no, with stress on the first syllable.
"We spent the evening at the casino after dinner."
"The casino offered a variety of games, from poker to roulette."
"Security at the casino checked our IDs at the entrance."
You say it as /kæˈsiː.no/ (US) with the primary stress on the second syllable after the initial /k/ cluster. Start with a short /k/ release, then /æ/ as in cat, followed by a stressed long /iː/ in “si,” and finish with /no/ where the /o/ is a clear schwa or short vowel. Think ‘ka-SEE-no.’ Audio references from standard dictionaries can confirm: Cambridge/Oxford provide /kæˈsiː.nə/ variants depending on dialect; aim for /kæˈsiː.no/ for US English.
Two common errors: 1) Stressing the first syllable: /ˈkæ-si-no/ vs the natural US pattern /kæˈsiː.no/. 2) Pronouncing the second syllable with a short /ɪ/ or /i/ instead of /siː/; keep the long /iː/ in the second syllable and avoid turning it into a clipped /i/ sound. Also watch for a trailing /o/ that turns into /ə/; aim for a clear final /no/ rather than /nəʊ/ in some dialects. Practice with slowed, then normal tempo.
US: /kæˈsiː.no/ with rhoticity preserved; the final /o/ often realized as a clear /oʊ/ or schwa depending on speaker. UK: /kəˈsiː.nə/ in many dialects, with a reduced first vowel and a non-rhotic finale; /ˈkæsiˌnə/ may appear as well. Australian: /kæˈsiː.nə/ or /kɑːˈsiː.nə/, with less rhoticity and more centralized vowels. Across accents, the main feature is the stressed, long /iː/ in the second syllable and a relatively reduced final /ə/; the first vowel may vary in quality and length.
The difficulty lies in balancing syllable stress and vowel length: the second syllable carries primary stress in typical English usage, but many learners instinctively stress the first syllable. The long /iː/ in /siː/ requires precise tongue height and tenseness, while the final /o/ often devoices or reduces to a schwa in rapid speech. Finally, subtle regional shifts in initial /k/ release and vowel color can make it feel different from learners’ L1 patterns.
A casino answer might center on the wheelhouse of the vowel in the second syllable: the /siː/ should be a tense, long vowel close to 'see.' Some speakers may shorten to /si/ or glide toward /siən/ in rapid speech. The unique focus is ensuring the /siː/ is clearly sustained, with the /no/ ending not reduced too much. This helps avoid mispronunciations like /kæˈsi.no/ or /kæˈsiənə/.
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US: stronger rhotics and clear /o/; UK/AU: more vowel reduction in first syllable, non-rhotic in many speakers. Vowel focus: second syllable /iː/ should be tense, with lip rounding neutral. IPA references: US /kæˈsiː.no/, UK /kəˈsiː.nə/, AU /kæˈsiː.nə/.
Casino comes from the Italian word casìno, used to denote a small house or villa and, by extension, a cheerful place or lounge. In Italian, casìno originally referred to a small lodge or cottage and was connected to late Latin casa ‘house.’ The sense then broadened to mean a place of amusement or pleasure in 19th-century Europe—particularly in gambling houses and gaming rooms—before entering English in the late 19th or early 20th century. The modern casino sense, referring specifically to gambling establishments, arose from Italian gambling parlors that adopted the word to emphasize a refined, social venue associated with leisure and risk. First known use in English texts traces to early 20th century journalism and travel writing describing European entertainment venues, later proliferating globally as gambling houses simplified to “casino.” Through time, the word retained its connotation of a stylish, entertainment-focused space rather than merely a house or hall.
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Words that rhyme with "casino"
-ino sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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