How to write cocktail, cocktail or cocktail - here the answer

Cocktail, cocktail or cocktail? This is one of the most frequent questions that we come up with when writing this delicious drink correctly. However, it is likely that this widespread confusion is due to the fact that it is common to find the written word in all three forms, both in the media and in books. So, what is the correct way to write "cocktail"? The truth is that you can write in all three ways .

If you want to know why, then we explain it to you in this article about how to write cocktail, cocktail or cocktail . Take note!

Cocktail: cocktail in English

Both "cocktail" and "cocktail" are adaptations of the English "cocktail". We could say, therefore, that cocktail is the original term and that, being a foreign word, it must be in italics: cocktail .

Cocktail, no cocktail

The Royal Spanish Academy collects in its dictionary that all foreigners not adapted to our spelling should be written in italics, thus pointing out its foreign origin. In this way, if we wrote "cockatil" in round, we would be committing a misspelling .

Cocktail goes with an accent?

Now let's go to the graphic adaptations to Spanish. As we said at the beginning of the article, it is correct to write both cocktail and cocktail. However, is it better to write it with an accent or without an accent? Let's see what the RAE says.

Cocktail, in Spain

Although both forms are valid, according to the Royal Spanish Academy, in Spain is written only "cocktail", with tilde. Therefore, although it would not be a lack of spelling, it would be less correct to write cocktail or cocktail in this country.

In this way, the most frequent thing is that in the articles and books written in Spain the form "cocktail" appears before cocktail cocktail .

Cocktail and cocktail, in America

On the contrary, in Latin America, both cocktail and cocktail are generally used. However, the countries of the Southern Cone often prefer the "cocktail" form. In the same way, since Latin Americans have a lot of contact with English, it is also common to find the cocktail form in their texts.

Cocktail Plural

Another quite common question is how to correctly write the plural of cocktail.

• Plural cocktail : the proper way to write the plural cocktail is "cocktails", not "cocktails", a hybrid plural of the English cocktail form.
• Cocktail Plural : As with the accented form, the correct plural of cocktail is "cocktails".
• Cocktail Plural : As for the English cocktail form, the plural would be cocktails .

In this other article we respond to another very frequent question regarding the menu plural, How to say menus or menus.

Cocktail pronunciation

We must bear in mind, however, that depending on the form we use to write cocktail, it will be pronounced one way or another. For example:

• Cocktail : with tilde, in fact, it would be pronounced like this [kóktel].
• Cocktail : without tilde, the pronunciation would become something different, [koktél].
• Cocktail : in the English form, however, the pronunciation would be quite similar to cocktail, [kókteil].

You may also find the following article on Differences between homonyms, homographs and homophones helpful.

How to choose between cocktail, cocktail or cocktail

The choice between one of these three forms depends, as we have seen, on several factors:

• The country : as we have commented in previous sections, although the three forms are correct, depending on which country you are in, it will be more usual to write it one way or another.
• The medium in which you are going to write : it is not the same to write in a medium of communication as in a chat with your friends, for example. If your work is very focused on writing, it is best to opt for the most accepted form in your country. Yes, ask at your job if they have any preference when writing cocktail.
• Personal preference : finally, of course, there are the personal preferences of each one. There are those who, perhaps for aesthetic reasons, prefer the original cocktail form to their graphic adaptations to Spanish.

To choose how to write cocktail, the best thing is that you value these three points that we have just detailed.

Coktail, coctail or coktel - frequent mistakes

On the other hand, as we see in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts of the RAE, it is very common to find hybrid variations of the three forms of writing cocktail, all of them incorrect . Some examples of this are:

• Coktail
• Coctail
• Coktel
• Cocktails

If you have doubts at the time of writing a word, such as for example on how to write cocktail, cocktail or cocktail, it is best that you consult the Royal Spanish Academy to make sure you do not make any spelling or grammar mistakes.