How to pronounce "tomato" in English
təˈmeɪ.t̬oʊ
tə·MAY·t̬oh
Primary stress: MAY
Hear native speakers say tomato in context across real video clips
🇺🇸 US vs 🇬🇧 UK vs 🇦🇺 AUS
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “tomato”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
tə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
MAY
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
t̬oh
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("MAY"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: US uses the diphthong ⁄eɪ⁄ (to-MAY-to); UK and Australia use the broad ⁄ɑː⁄ (to-MAH-to).
How Native Speakers Say It: The classic "you say potato, I say tomato" difference stems from the 18th century British Great Vowel Shift aftermath where British southern standard shifted toward the broad "ah" ⁄ɑː⁄, whereas American English retained the earlier diphthongized ⁄eɪ⁄. US: Features diphthong ⁄eɪ⁄ and flapped /t/. UK: Broad 'a' ⁄ɑː⁄ with sharp plosive /t/.
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "tomato" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“tomato problem. I used to slice tomato inside that fried”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“tomato sauce cowheel learned to cook from his mother and sisters his most indispensable ingredient is olive oil”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“tomato in the fridge keep a tomato outside wait 24 hours and then try them”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“tomato iaki has 120 members and a long waiting list to join people cook in”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Tomato is a very special ingredient because there are many flavors within a tomato.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“tomato also sometime with very good canned tomato if you cook it too long”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “tomato”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
tomato problem. I used to slice tomato inside that fried
Hear it in context: “tomato”
1,621 clipsThe English word “tomato” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as təˈmeɪ.t̬oʊ (phonetic respelling: tə-MAY-t̬oh). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (tə · MAY · t̬oh), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (MAY). Grammatically, “tomato” functions as a noun, adjective, verb and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 1,621 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “tomato” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @2:40
“demand. Radio host Ala Yande meanwhile has found another solution for her tomato problem. She's been experimenting with new recipes without the staple ingredient. I used to slice tomato inside that fried ingredient. I used to slice tomato inside that fried”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @2:31
“called the gilted head green and then we can do a caper maltese tradition and tomato sauce cowheel learned to cook from his mother and sisters his most indispensable ingredient is olive oil cowheel learned to cook from his mother and sisters”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @20:39
“use the Tomato as an example put a tomato in the fridge keep a tomato outside wait 24 hours and then try them outside wait 24 hours and then try them”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @1:04
“and Muses with tomato iaki has 120 members and a long waiting list to join people cook in groups on different days members can bring friends and split the costs women”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @39:03
“of the sweet potato and pumpkin. Tomato is a very special ingredient because there are many flavors within a tomato. because there are many flavors within a tomato.”
Definition & Meaning: “tomato”
- A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
- The savory fruit of this plant, most often red when ripe, treated as a vegetable in horticulture and cooking.
- Of a shade of red, the colour of a ripe tomato.
- To pelt with tomatoes.
- To add tomatoes to (a dish).
Example Sentences (3)
- “He was chopping a tomato to put in the salad.”
- “Her face is on the cover: the Anne Estelle Rice portrait – or the black-eyed Japanese-bobbed head-and-shoulders bit of it – and the square-yoked dress is tomato, or pomegranate, but never persimmon. If it stayed too long in the sun and faded, well yes, maybe then…”
- “tomato problem. She's been experimenting with new recipes without the staple ingredient. I used to slice tomato inside that fried”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “tomato”
- Pronunciation:
- tə-MAY-t̬oh
- Syllables:
- tə · MAY · t̬oh
- Written Hyphenation:
- to · ma · to
- Primary stress:
- MAY
- IPA:
- təˈmeɪ.t̬oʊ
- Hear it in context
- tomato
Words that Rhyme with “tomato”
-eɪtoʊWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"tomato" (⁄təˈmeɪ.t̬oʊ⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "tomato" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about tomato
How do you pronounce “tomato”?
“tomato” is pronounced ⁄təˈmeɪ.t̬oʊ⁄ (tə-MAY-t̬oh). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “tomato”?
“tomato” has 3 syllables: tə · MAY · t̬oh.
Where is the stress in “tomato”?
The primary stress in “tomato” is on “MAY”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “tomato” mean?
A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
How can I hear “tomato” used in real sentences?
This page has 1621 real-world video examples of “tomato” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “tomato”?
US uses the diphthong ⁄eɪ⁄ (to-MAY-to); UK and Australia use the broad ⁄ɑː⁄ (to-MAH-to). The classic "you say potato, I say tomato" difference stems from the 18th century British Great Vowel Shift aftermath where British southern standard shifted toward the broad "ah" ⁄ɑː⁄, whereas American English retained the earlier diphthongized ⁄eɪ⁄. US: Features diphthong ⁄eɪ⁄ and flapped /t/. UK: Broad 'a' ⁄ɑː⁄ with sharp plosive /t/.