How to pronounce oeuvre
Say it like OOV-ruh. Oeuvre has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (OOV).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce oeuvre. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- OOV
- ruh
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Oeuvre pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- OOVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
- ruhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of oeuvre
American and British speakers say oeuvre in essentially the same way: /ˈuvrə/ in the US and /ˈɜːvrə/ in the UK.
British respelling: URV-ruh.
What does oeuvre mean?
- A work of art, music or literature.
- A substantial or complete corpus of works produced by an artist, composer, or writer.“the complete oeuvre of Mozart”
Where does oeuvre come from?
From French œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera (plural of Latin opus), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“work”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with oeuvre
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of oeuvre.
Questions about saying oeuvre
How do you pronounce oeuvre?
Say OOV-ruh. The American pronunciation is /ˈuvrə/. In British English it is /ˈɜːvrə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in oeuvre?
Oeuvre has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (OOV). Broken into parts: OOV · ruh.
Do Americans and Brits say oeuvre the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈuvrə/ and the British form is /ˈɜːvrə/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.