Practice
Appetizer or starter: what is the difference?
Sign in to saveYou may see soup first on one menu and a starter on another. The dish can be similar, while the word reflects the restaurant's regional English.
Recognize appetizer and starter as similar menu words, and choose the term that fits the regional variety or the restaurant's own menu.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
appetizer / starter /ˈæp.ə.taɪ.zər/ /ˈstɑː.tər/
The short answer
An appetizer and a starter can both be a first course before the main course. Appetizer is common in North American English, while starter is common in British English.
The menu lists a tomato soup starter before the main courses.
Why it works: Starter is a natural menu word when the meal follows British English usage.
5 more examples
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We shared two appetizers before dinner at the diner.
Appetizers is a natural plural in a North American restaurant context.
Not this:We shared
two startersbefore dinner at the diner. What changes: This is understandable, but it gives the sentence a more British menu style. -
For my starter, I chose the mushroom soup.
Starter names the first course in a British-style meal.
Not this:For
my appetizer, I chose the mushroom soup. What changes: The dish can be the same, but appetizer is the more usual North American choice. -
The cafe serves a light appetizer before the main meal.
Appetizer can describe a first dish before the main meal.
Not this:The cafe serves a
light starterbefore the main meal. What changes: This works too, especially where starter is the usual menu term. -
The starters include soup, salad, and grilled vegetables.
A menu section can use starters for several first-course choices.
Not this:
The appetizersinclude soup, salad, and grilled vegetables. What changes: This is a normal alternative on a North American menu. -
Ask whether the appetizer is large enough to share.
The word does not tell you the portion size, so asking is useful.
Not this:Ask whether
the starteris large enough to share. What changes: The same question works when the restaurant calls the first course a starter.
Read the full guide
At a restaurant abroad, you do not need to guess from the dish alone. Read the menu headings first. A menu may say starters, appetizers, small plates, or first courses, and each heading tells you how that restaurant organizes the meal.
Start with the course
Both words often point to food served before the main course. The safest first decision is simple: if the dish begins the meal, either term may describe its place in the meal. The regional setting helps you choose between them.
We ordered a first course before the main dish.
A first course may be called an appetizer or a starter, depending on the menu's regional style.
Use appetizer in North America
Appetizer is especially common in the United States and Canada. You may hear people ask for appetizers, share appetizers, or look at the appetizer menu. It can be one dish for each person or several dishes for a group.
The server brought the appetizers before our main dishes.
Appetizers is the ordinary plural for several first-course dishes in this North American setting.
You are in Chicago and the menu has an Appetizers heading. Which word should you use when you order?
Use appetizer because it matches the menu and the local variety of English.
Use starter in British English
Starter is especially common in British English. A menu may have three clear headings: starters, mains, and desserts. In that setting, starter is the natural word for the dish before the main course.
For a starter, Maya ordered a salad with goat cheese.
Starter fits a British-style menu, even though the same dish could be an appetizer elsewhere.
A London menu says Starters. What do you call the soup before your main course?
Call it a starter because that is the menu's own term.
Do not guess from food
The two words do not divide food into fixed groups. Soup can be a starter or an appetizer. So can salad, seafood, vegetables, or a small pastry. A menu may also use small plates or sharing plates instead, which can have a different purpose.
The roasted peppers appear under small plates, not starters.
Small plates may be shared or ordered at any point, so they are not automatically the first course.
Follow the menu wording
When you are ordering, the restaurant's headings matter more than a general regional rule. If the menu says starters, ask about a starter. If it says appetizers, use appetizer. If you need help, ask whether a dish comes before the main course or whether it is meant to share.
Could you tell me whether this starter is meant for one person?
This question checks the portion without assuming that every starter has the same size.
The menu says Small Plates, but you want food before the main course. What can you ask?
Ask whether a small plate is served before the main course and whether it is designed for sharing.
Before you go
Remember this
Use appetizer for a North American menu and starter for a British-style menu. Both can come before the main course, so check the restaurant's headings and ask about the dish if needed.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Appetizer or starter: what is the difference?"
What is the difference between an appetizer and a starter?
Both words can refer to a dish served before the main course. The usual difference is regional: appetizer is especially common in North American English, while starter is especially common in British English. A restaurant may choose either word for a similar dish.
We shared two appetizers before dinner at the diner.
Is appetizer an American word?
Appetizer is especially common in North American English, including restaurant menus in the United States and Canada. It is understood more widely, but a British-style menu is more likely to use starter for the first course. Match the word used by the menu when you order.
We shared two starters before dinner at the diner.
Is starter a British word for appetizer?
Often, yes. In British English, starter commonly means a dish served before the main course. The dish itself may be much the same as an appetizer on a North American menu. The menu heading and local usage matter more than the ingredients.
For my starter, I chose the mushroom soup.
Are starters always small or cold?
No. Starter describes the position of the dish in the meal, not a fixed size or temperature. Soup, salad, seafood, vegetables, or a warm pastry can all be starters. Ask about the portion if you need to know whether a dish is suitable for one person or for sharing.
For my appetizer, I chose the mushroom soup.
Should I say appetizer or starter in a restaurant?
Use the restaurant's own menu wording when you can. Say appetizer if the menu has an Appetizers heading and starter if it has a Starters heading. If the menu uses a different label, such as small plates, ask how the dish is served rather than assuming it is a first course.
The cafe serves a light appetizer before the main meal.