TAY-stee
/ˈteɪsti/
tasty is pronounced TAY-stee (/ˈteɪsti/). Tasty describes food or drink that has a pleasant, flavorful taste. It can also be used informally to express approval or enjoyment of something in general. The term conveys sensory appeal and often signals a positive, appetizing perception. It is common in casual speech and familiar contexts.
Tasty describes food or drink that has a pleasant, flavorful taste. It can also be used informally to express approval or enjoyment of something in general. The term conveys sensory appeal and often signals a positive, appetizing perception. It is common in casual speech and familiar contexts.
- You’ll often hear people slurring /t/ into /s/, producing a blurred /ts/; keep a clean plosive /t/ and a separate /s/ with a brief boundary. - Another error is mispronouncing /eɪ/ as a short /e/ or /ɛ/, which makes the word sound flat; rehearse the diphthong slowly, then accelerate. - Finally, the final /ti/ can slide into a dull /iː/ or be dropped; practice a crisp, short /ti/ with a light release. Practice in short bursts, focusing on crisp articulation.
"That curry smells amazing—really tasty!"
"We had a tasty brunch, with eggs, avocado, and salsa."
"The shortcut recipe turned out tasty and quick to make."
Pronounce it as /ˈteɪs.ti/. The first syllable carries primary stress. Tongue position: start with the mouth slightly open, the lips relaxed; vowel /eɪ/ is a long open-mid front vowel, produced with a gentle glide from /e/ to /ɪ/. The second syllable uses a light /i/ as in 'see' and a clear 't' before it. Practice by saying 'tey' then quickly add 'see' with minimal chord separation, like TEI-sTi. Audio reference: listen to native speakers in everyday speech to capture timing.
Common mistakes: 1) Cutting the /t/ and /s/ together too tightly, resulting in a blurred /ts/; keep a crisp /t/ as a separate consonant and release into /s/. 2) Substituting /eɪ/ with a flat /e/ or /ɛ/; aim for the genuine diphthong /eɪ/. 3) Overemphasizing the ending /iː/; ensure a short, clipped /ti/ rather than a lengthened vowel. Correct by practicing with minimal pairs and slowing the onset of post-vocalic sounds.
In US, UK, and AU, /ˈteɪs.ti/ remains similar in vowels, but rhoticity affects the preceding consonant’s coarticulation slightly. US speakers may produce a slightly more centralized /eɪ/ in fast speech; UK speakers may keep crisper short vowels before consonants in some dialects; Australian tends to be non-rhotic with vowel height slightly lowered, giving a brighter, backer /eɪ/ and a sharper /t/ release in connected speech. Overall, main cues are vowel quality and pace.
Difficulty centers on the smooth diphthong /eɪ/ followed by a crisp /s/ and quick /ti/. The transition from the vowel to the ligament-like /s/ requires precise lip position and tongue-tip control to avoid a blend or nasalization. Also, maintaining a light, quick final /i/ after /t/ without a heavy vowel demands subtle timing. For non-native speakers, these transitions are the main challenge.
No; there are no silent letters in tasty. Each letter contributes to sound: the /t/ at start, /eɪ/ diphthong, /s/ sound, and final /ti/. However, rapid speech can lightly de-emphasize the /i/ leading to a shorter, almost clipped ending in fast contexts. Focus on keeping all phonemes audible, especially the /t/ release before the /s/.
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- US: de-emphasize rhoticity; keep the /t/ release crisp; slight centralization of vowels in fast speech. - UK: maintain a slightly more precise vowel height for /eɪ/ and a crisper /t/ with minimal aspiration; lesser vowel reduction. - AU: broader vowel quality, /eɪ/ slightly higher and tenser; softer /t/ release; keep diphthong movement clear even in fast speech. IPA references help calibrate accuracy.
Tasty comes from Middle English tastien, meaning to have taste, which itself derives from the Old English teastian (later taste). The sense shift toward “having a good taste” arose by the 16th century as English speakers coined adjectives from nouns and verbs to describe sensory qualities. The modern form tasty likely originated in early modern English as a diminutive-like adjective from “taste,” emphasizing a favorable sensation. Over time, usage broadened beyond strictly edible senses to convey general appeal or agreement, e.g., a tasty idea or a tasty turn of phrase. Primary diachronic development tracks from Old English via Middle English, with regional spelling and pronunciation variations converging into contemporary English usage. First known uses appear in Middle English culinary descriptions, with broader metaphorical uses documented from the 17th–18th centuries as taste became a broader marker of quality and approval.
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Help others use "tasty" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "tasty" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "tasty" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "tasty"
-sty sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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