How to pronounce French
Say it like FRENCH. French 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 French. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FRENCH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
French pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FRENCHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of French
American and British speakers say French in essentially the same way: /frɛntʃ/ in the US and /frɛntʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: FRENCH.
What does French mean?
- the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
- the people of France
- United States sculptor who created the seated marble figure of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. (1850-1931)
- of or pertaining to France or the people of France“French cooking”“a Gallic shrug”
- cut (e.g, beans) lengthwise in preparation for cooking“French the potatoes”
Where does French come from?
From Middle English French, Frensch, Frensh, from Old English Frencisc (“of the Franks, Frankish, French”), from Franca (“a Frank”).
Words that rhyme with French
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of French.
Questions about saying French
How do you pronounce French?
Say FRENCH. The American pronunciation is /frɛntʃ/. In British English it is /frɛntʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in French?
French is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FRENCH.
Do Americans and Brits say French the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /frɛntʃ/ and the British form is /frɛntʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.