fuoco
/ˈfwɔ.ko/
The English phrase "burner" can be translated into Italian as fuoco or fornello.
Meaning: element on a kitchen stove (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fuoco | /ˈfwɔ.ko/ | |
| fornello | /forˈnɛl.lo/ | masculine |
In the context of a kitchen stove, the word refers to the heating element or burner used for cooking.
Which one should you use?
If you are referring to the entire stovetop surface rather than an individual burner, use piano cottura.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of fornello is fornelli.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈfwɔ.ko/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The English word 'focus' shares the same root as fuoco. In Latin, focus referred specifically to the hearth or the center of the home where the fire burned.
- While fornello refers to the burner, the word fuoco is more common when discussing the heat level. An Italian cook might describe a dish as needing a fuoco lento or 'slow fire' rather than a 'low burner'.
- In many Italian households, instead of specifying a burner, people might simply say 'accendi il gas' meaning 'turn on the gas' to achieve the same result.
Examples in context
- Tirò fuori l'hot dog dalla confezione e mise una piccola padella sul fornello a gas.He took the hot dog out of its package and put a small frying pan onto the stove's gas burner.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use fornello when describing putting a pan onto a gas burner.Tatoeba #11271277 by Guybrush88, translation #9192950 by DJ_Saidez
- Il bruciatore della caldaia si è guastato.The burner of the boiler is broken.
- Il dispositivo di combustione richiede manutenzione regolare.The combustion device requires regular maintenance.
- Mettiamo i tronchi nel brucialegna per scaldare la stanza.Let's put logs into the wood-burning stove to heat the room.
- Ho acceso il forno, controlla il fornello a gas per vedere se è funzionante.I turned on the oven, check the gas burner to see if it's working.
- Accendi il fuoco per far bollire l'acqua.Turn on the burner to boil the water.
- Il fuoco della parte destra non funziona.The burner on the right side doesn't work.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Sofia are in the kitchen preparing lunch.
- FrancescoSofia, puoi accendere il fuoco per la pasta?Sofia, can you turn on the burner for the pasta?
- SofiaSì, ma quale fuoco preferisci?Yes, but which burner do you prefer?
- FrancescoUsa pure quello davanti, va bene.You can use the front one, it's fine.
- SofiaVa bene, lo accendo subito.Okay, I'll turn it on right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “burner” translations and entries fuoco, fornello, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fornello, fuoco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
