How to pronounce femme
Say it like FEM. Femme is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce femme. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FEM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Femme pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FEMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of femme
American and British speakers say femme in essentially the same way: /fɛm/ in the US and /fɛm/ in the UK.
British respelling: FEM.
What does femme mean?
- A woman; a wife; (now chiefly Canada, US) a young woman or girl.
- A lesbian or other queer woman whose appearance, identity etc. is seen as feminine as opposed to butch.
- A person whose gender is feminine-leaning, such as a feminine non-binary person.
- Pertaining to a femme; feminine, female.
- Characteristic of a feminine lesbian or queer woman.“Her style was more femme than butch.”
- To feminize.
Where does femme come from?
From Middle English femme, itself borrowed from Old French fame (whence French femme), from Latin femina (“woman”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
- butch
Words that rhyme with femme
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of femme.
Questions about saying femme
How do you pronounce femme?
Say FEM. The American pronunciation is /fɛm/. In British English it is /fɛm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in femme?
Femme is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FEM.
Do Americans and Brits say femme the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fɛm/ and the British form is /fɛm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.