Spanakopitas is a plural Greek pastry item, meaning small spinach pies. It denotes bite-sized savory triangles or rounds filled with spinach, feta, and herbs, often baked in pastry. The term combines spanaki (spinach) with -opita (pie), and is used chiefly in culinary contexts to refer to these spinach-filled pastries served as appetizers or snacks.
"We served spanakopitas hot from the oven at the Greek-themed party."
"The spanakopitas were flaky, with a tangy feta center that delighted the guests."
"She bought a dozen spanakopitas for the potluck and they disappeared quickly."
"For the tasting menu, the chef offered spanakopitas as a lighter alternative to heavier entrées."
Spanakopitas derives from the Greek spanaki (spinach) and -opita, a diminutive and pluralizing suffix related to pies or pastries. The word is built on spanaki, itself from spanos (spinach) or modern Greek spanaki (spinach), combined with the pie-related suffix -opita, seen in many Greek foods like spanakopita (spinach pie) and tiropita (cheese pie). The plural form spanakopitas indicates multiple pieces. Historically, spanakopita pies have ancient roots in Greek cuisine, but the pluralized term spanakopitas is a more recent way to refer to multiple individual pies or bite-sized versions, especially in modern menus and Greek delis. First attested in English culinary writing in the late 20th century, the term has gained popularity with the global spread of Greek food culture, particularly in places with Greek diaspora or Mediterranean restaurants. The morphological shift from spanakopita to spanakopitas mirrors English pluralization patterns and consumer-friendly naming for miniature pastries. The pronunciation aligns with English stress patterns while preserving the Greek phonology of the root elements, signaling authenticity through the familiar -itas syllable cluster in casual dining usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Spanakopitas"
-tas sounds
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Pronounce stressed as span-a-KO-pi-tas, with the main stress on the third syllable. IPA: US /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəs/, UK /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəz/, AU /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəs/. Start with a light schwa in the first syllable, then a crisp “kop” with an open back rounded vowel, and end with “tas” where the t is released clearly. Audio reference: you can compare to spanakopita and listen for the final -tas- pronunciation in native Greek or culinary media.
Common mistakes: 1) stressing the wrong syllable (often stressing -pi- or -tas-); correct to stress the third syllable: span-a-KO-pi-tas. 2) Rendering the ‘k’ as a soft ‘g’ or an overly aspirated ‘k’—use a crisp voiceless velar plosive /k/. 3) Mixing up the final -tas with -təs or -teɪs; keep a short, clean -tas with a common -əs ending in rapid speech. Practice by isolating each cluster and layering them into the full word.
US: clear /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəs/ with non-rhotic-ish r-silent; UK: /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəz/ with a more clipped final -əz; AU: /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəs/ similar to US but with broader vowels and a flatter intonation. The main vowel in the second syllable is a mid back vowel /ɒ/ in many dialects; rhoticity is minimal in UK/AU, but Americans may have a slightly more rhotic ending in careful speech. Note the final -tas/-təz variations and the position of primary stress remains on the third syllable.
Key challenges: the long, multi-syllabic Greek compound with consecutive unstressed syllables; the central /ɒ/ in kop; and preserving the final -tas cluster without inserting extra vowels. The “pa” and “ke” sequences can blur in fast speech, so you want to keep crisp /k/ and ensure the syllable boundary after -ka- is audible. Also, the stress shift from Greek to English tends to land on -ko-, so you’ll hear span-a-KO-pi-tas.
Does Spanakopitas ever reduce to Spanaktitas in casual speech? No—though rapid speakers may shorten vowels slightly, the standard, widely understood form preserves the /ɒ/ in kop and the full -ita- cluster; avoid turning it into Span-a-kop-it-as with extra schwas. Maintain the /ˌspanəˈkɒpɪtəs/ skeleton and avoid vowel elision that erases the second syllable.
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