How to pronounce Prosecco

What is Prosecco?

A DOC in Veneto and Friuli producing sparkling wines from Glera with apple and pear notes.

Prosecco is a wine named after a place. The name comes from the village of Prosecco, near Trieste in the far northeast of Italy. Today the Prosecco DOC covers nine provinces across two regions, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Until 2009 Prosecco was also the name of the grape. That year the grape was renamed Glera in Italy, and Prosecco became a protected place name only.

The wine must be at least 85 percent Glera. Up to 15 percent can be other permitted grapes, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco or Pinot Grigio. Most Prosecco gets its bubbles in a pressurized steel tank, not in the bottle. This tank method keeps the wine fresh and fruity. Expect a light, crisp sparkling wine with apple, pear and white peach notes.

Labels carry a few useful words. Spumante is fully sparkling and frizzante is gently sparkling. For sweetness, Brut is the driest of the three common levels, Extra Dry is slightly sweeter, and Dry is sweeter again. The hill areas of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo hold the higher DOCG rank, and their sparkling wines are labeled Superiore. Prosecco rosé, made with 10 to 15 percent Pinot Nero, has been allowed in the DOC since 2020.

Prosecco, syllable by syllable

Why Prosecco is hard to say

Italian double consonants are really pronounced double. The cc in Prosecco is one k sound held longer: the tongue closes at the end of SEK, waits a beat, and opens on koh. English spelling uses double letters mostly to mark a short vowel, so English speakers say a single k. The same lengthening applies to the bb in Nebbiolo and the ll in Valpolicella.

The letter c is hard here because it stands before o. Italian c is a k before a, o and u, and soft, like the "ch" in "cheese", only before e and i, as in Montalcino. Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, the usual Italian pattern, and every vowel keeps its full value. English dictionaries often reduce the first one, giving pruh-SEK-oh.

Tips for saying it

How to order Prosecco

Put the weight on SEK and give the k a slight hold if you want the Italian form. The everyday English proh-SEK-oh, with a single k, is listed in English dictionaries and is understood everywhere. If you prefer a dry glass, ask for Brut, because Extra Dry is the sweeter of the two.

• “Could I have a glass of Prosecco, please?”
• “Is this Prosecco Brut or Extra Dry?” Brut is the drier one.
• “Do you have a Prosecco Superiore from Valdobbiadene?” Superiore marks the DOCG hill areas.

Names often confused with Prosecco

• Glera (GLEH-rah): The grape behind Prosecco, which carried the name Prosecco itself until 2009.
• Asti Spumante (AHS-tee spoo-MAHN-teh): Another Italian sparkling wine, but sweet, made from Moscato in Piedmont.
• Cava (KAH-vah): Spain's sparkling wine, often shelved next to Prosecco but fermented in the bottle like Champagne.
• Champagne (shahm-PAHN-yuh): The French sparkling wine people most often compare Prosecco with; it uses different grapes and bottle fermentation.

Questions about pronouncing Prosecco

How do you pronounce Prosecco?

Prosecco is pronounced proh-SEK-koh, with the stress on the middle syllable, SEK, and the double c held slightly longer than a single k. In English it is often heard as proh-SEK-oh.

Is it proh-SEK-oh or proh-SEK-koh?

The Italian form is proh-SEK-koh, with a lengthened k for the double c. It is often heard as proh-SEK-oh in English, which is the form English dictionaries give. Both are understood; the difference is only how long the k is held.

How do you pronounce Prosecco in American and British English?

Both stress the second syllable and use a single k sound. Dictionaries list a full first vowel, proh-SEK-oh, and a reduced one, pruh-SEK-oh, for American and British English alike. The Italian form keeps the first vowel full and doubles the k.

What does Prosecco mean?

Prosecco is a place name. It comes from the village of Prosecco, near Trieste in northeastern Italy. The grape was once called Prosecco too, but since 2009 it has been called Glera, and the word Prosecco is reserved for wine from the protected area.

What is the difference between Prosecco and Champagne?

Prosecco comes from northeastern Italy and is made mainly from Glera, usually with the second fermentation in a steel tank. Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France, uses different grapes, and gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle.

Sources: Wikipedia: Prosecco, Italian Wine Central: Prosecco DOC, Dictionary.com: Prosecco. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.