cafeteria
/ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/noun
cafeteria is spelled C-A-F-E-T-E-R-I-A: 9 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cafeteria means “A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cafeteria is cafeterias or cafétérias.
How many letters and syllables are in cafeteria?
| Letters | 9: C-A-F-E-T-E-R-I-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cafeteria?
Cafeteria appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cafeteria?
- UK /ˌka.fə.ˈtɪə̯.ɹi.ə/
- US /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/
Cafeteria has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cafeteria.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with cafeteria?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cafeteria from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹiə/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of cafeteria
- cafeterias plural
- caféteria
- cafétéria rare
- cafétérias plural
- caféterias plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cafeteria mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CanadaUSA restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
- 2
CanadaUSA dining area in an institution where meals may be purchased (as above), provided, or brought in from elsewhere.
noun
- 1
rareRare spelling of cafeteria.
noun
- 1
Uncommon spelling of cafeteria.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cafeteria in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cafétéria, cafèt’, cantine , caféteria, réfectoire |
| German | Cafeteria, Kantine , Mensa |
| Portuguese | cafeteria, cantina , refeitório |
| Spanish | cafetería, cantina, comedor , casino |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cafeteria come from?
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish cafetería (“coffeehouse”), from cafetera (“coffee maker”), from French cafetière, from café, from Ottoman Turkish قهوه (kahve) (Turkish kahve), from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa, “coffee”). Doublet of cafetière.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).