A recipe is a set of instructions for preparing a particular dish or drink, including ingredients, quantities, and step-by-step procedures. It may also refer to a plan or method for achieving a desired result. In cooking, a recipe guides you from raw ingredients to a finished dish, often with timing and technique specifics. The term can also be used metaphorically in nonculinary contexts.
"I followed a grandmother's cookie recipe to bake the perfect batch."
"The invention gave him a recipe for success in the startup world."
"She shared her dietary recipe for a quick, healthy smoothie."
"The software update was not a recipe for improved performance, but a new feature set."
Recipe comes from Old French recette, meaning ‘receit, a receiving, receipt, or account,’ ultimately from Latin recepta ‘things received, a receiving’ from recipere ‘to take back, receive.’ In medieval culinary usage, recette referred to ‘a receipt’ or list of ingredients and quantities, a sense preserved in English as ‘receipt’ in the 14th–16th centuries. By the 16th century, recipe had become the standard word for a set of culinary instructions. The shift from Latin to Old French reflects the medieval transmission of cooking knowledge via written ‘receipts,’ which later evolved into modern recipe with explicit instructions, proportions, and method. The word has expanded metaphorically to describe any prescribed procedure for achieving a result (e.g., “the recipe for success”). First known English usage appears in the late 14th century, with broader culinary usage emerging in Renaissance cookbooks. In contemporary usage, recipe remains the canonical term for culinary instruction and also appears in metaphorical contexts like business, project planning, and problem-solving playbooks.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Recipe" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Recipe"
-ree sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˈrɛsəpi/ (US). The stress is on the first syllable: 'REH-suh-pee.' The middle vowel is a schwa, and the final vowel is an unstressed 'ee' as in 'see.' In UK English you’ll hear /ˈrɛsɪpi/ with a slightly higher middle vowel; keep the second syllable light. For Australian speakers, the pattern is similar to UK/US with a clear first syllable and lighter second, ending with a soft 'ee' sound. Audio resources: Pronounce or Forvo can provide native pronunciations to compare variants.
Common mistakes: (1) stressing the wrong syllable by saying /ˈrɛsɪpi/ or /ˈriːsəpi/. Correct by keeping primary stress on the first syllable and using a short, clipped second syllable: /ˈrɛsəpi/. (2) Merging the middle vowel into a heavy /ɪ/ or /eɪ/; fix by using a light, centralized /ə/ (schwa) in the second syllable. (3) Ending with an elongated /iː/ instead of a short /i/; practice with a quick, crisp /i/ at the end. Practice with minimal pairs like ‘reset’ vs ‘recipe’ to tune rhythm and vowel quality.
US: /ˈrɛsəpi/ with a clear first syllable and a reduced /ə/ second syllable; rhotic accent doesn’t influence the final vowel. UK: /ˈrɛsɪpi/ with a slightly shorter middle vowel and a stiffer 'i' as in ‘kit’; non-rhotic tendency does not affect the word much. AU: /ˈrɛsəpi/ similar to US but with broader vowel sounds; may be more clipped. In all, stress remains on the first syllable; the middle vowel is often a schwa or near-schwa; pay attention to the final syllable’s lightness.
The challenge lies in maintaining a crisp two-syllable rhythm while producing a reduced middle vowel (schwa) and keeping the first syllable stressed. Many speakers over-articulate the middle vowel or misplace primary stress, turning it into ree-SI-pee or RE-sip-ee. The subtle contrast between /ə/ and /ɪ/ in the middle syllable and the final unstressed /pi/ requires relaxed jaw and precise tongue position: a short, mid-central vowel followed by a close front vowel. Practice with slow, clearly enunciated clips and then speed up.
Is the final -e in recipe truly silent across dialects? In standard pronunciation, the final -e is not pronounced; you end with a light 'pee' consonant-vowel sequence where the final /i/ is short and de-emphasized. Some speakers may lightly articulate a very short /i/ due to speaking tempo, but normally it remains unstressed and reduced. Focus on crisp consonant release before the final vowel and keep the -e light and quick.
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