barbecue and barbeque are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. barbecue means “meat that has been barbecued or grilled in a highly seasoned sauce”. barbeque means “meat that has been barbecued or grilled in a highly seasoned sauce”. barbecue is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/
1.n.meat that has been barbecued or grilled in a highly seasoned sauce
2.n.a cookout in which food is cooked over an open fire; especially a whole animal carcass roasted on a spit
3.n.a rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors
| barbecue | barbeque | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/ | /ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/ |
| Said | BAHR-bi-kyoo | BAHR-bi-kyoo |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Letters | 8 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 4 | 4 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | barbeque | barbecue |
Full entry for barbecue · Full entry for barbeque · More comparisons
/ˈbɑɹbɪˌkju/
1.n.meat that has been barbecued or grilled in a highly seasoned sauce
2.n.a cookout in which food is cooked over an open fire; especially a whole animal carcass roasted on a spit
3.n.a rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors