bacchetta
/bakˈket.ta/
The Italian word for drumstick is bacchetta.
Meaning: leg bone of a chicken or other fowl (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /bakˈket.ta/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use bacchetta to refer to a chicken drumstick. In Italian, bacchetta actually refers to a small stick or a conductor's baton.
Did you know?
- To order a chicken drumstick in Italy, you should use fuso di pollo. The word fuso refers to the spindle used in spinning wool, which resembles the shape of the bone.
- In Italian, the term bacchetta is used for chopsticks, called bacchette cinesi.
- The word bacchetta can also refer to a magic wand, known as bacchetta magica.
Example conversation
Matteo and Sofia are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- MatteoCosa vuoi mangiare stasera, Sofia?What do you want to eat tonight, Sofia?
- SofiaHo voglia di una bacchetta di pollo fritto.I feel like having a fried chicken drumstick.
- MatteoOttima idea, ordiniamone due.Great idea, let's order two.
- SofiaPerfetto, grazie Matteo!Perfect, thanks Matteo!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bacchetta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
