caramel

caramel — noun

1. a thick, dark-brown, sweet liquid made by heating sugar with a little water, use

1.名詞B1
釋義

a thick, dark-brown, sweet liquid made by heating sugar with a little water, used to add flavour and colour to food or as a topping on desserts.

例句

Leila poured warm caramel over the vanilla ice cream.

collocation: pour caramel over [food]

The recipe asks for three tablespoons of caramel sauce.

collocation: caramel sauce

同義詞
  • butterscotch

    a similar sauce made with brown sugar and butter; slightly lighter in colour and more buttery in taste

  • caramel syrup

    a thinner, more processed version often used in drinks

用法筆記

This sense is uncountable — you cannot say 'a caramel' to mean this liquid. Use 'a caramel sauce' or 'some caramel' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I added a caramel to the coffee.
✅I added caramel to the coffee.
💡The liquid ingredient is uncountable; omit the article.

2. a small, soft, sticky sweet made by heating sugar together with butter, milk, or

2.名詞B1
釋義

a small, soft, sticky sweet made by heating sugar together with butter, milk, or cream, often cut into cubes or wrapped in paper.

例句

Ravi bought a bag of soft caramels at the corner shop.

plural: caramels as individual sweets

These caramels are made with butter and fresh cream.

同義詞
  • toffee

    a firmer, chewier sweet made with butter and sugar but cooked longer; less creamy than caramel

  • chewy caramel

    emphasises the sticky, soft texture of this kind of sweet

用法筆記

This sense can be countable (a caramel / two caramels = individual sweets) or uncountable (some caramel = the substance itself). In Taiwan, the individual sweets are often called '牛奶糖' rather than '焦糖'.

常見錯誤

❌I ate caramel for dessert.' (ambiguous).
✅I ate a caramel for dessert.
💡Use the countable form when referring to one individual sweet.