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Borrowed from French: How to Pronounce Them
English kept many French words close to their original sound, so the last letters are often silent and the stress lands late. Press play to hear each word, or open its page for British audio, syllables and meaning.
- bouquet · boo-KAY · /buˈkeɪ/
The final t is silent and the word ends with 'kay': 'boo-KAY' or 'boh-KAY'. - buffet · buh-FAY · /bəˈfeɪ/
For the food table, the t is silent: 'buh-FAY'. As a verb meaning to strike, it is 'BUFF-it'. - entrepreneur · ahn-truh-pruh-NUR · /ˌɑntrəprəˈnɝ/
Four syllables, stressed at the end: 'on-truh-pruh-NUR'. The ending rhymes with fur. - genre · ZHAHN-ruh · /ˈʒɑnrə/
Starts with the soft 'zh' sound in measure: 'ZHON-ruh'. - gourmet · goor-MAY · /ɡʊrˈmeɪ/
The t is silent: 'gor-MAY' in the US, 'GOR-may' in Britain. - rendezvous · RON-dih-voo · /ˈrɑndɪˌvu/
Both the z and the final s are silent: 'RON-day-voo'. - connoisseur · kon-uh-SUR · /ˌkɑnəˈsɝ/
Said 'kon-uh-SUR', with the stress at the very end. - bourgeois · BOORZH-wo · /ˈbʊrʒwɑ/
The ending -geois sounds like 'zhwah': 'boor-ZHWAH'. - chauffeur · SHOH-fer · /ˈʃoʊfɚ/
Starts with 'sh'. Americans stress the end ('shoh-FUR'), Britons often the start ('SHOH-fuh'). - cliche · klee-SHAY · /kliˈʃeɪ/
Ends with 'shay', stressed on the second syllable in American English: 'klee-SHAY'. - cache · KASH · /kæʃ/
Sounds exactly like cash. It does not rhyme with café. - lingerie · lahn-zhuh-RAY · /ˌlɑnʒəˈreɪ/
Americans say 'lon-zhuh-RAY'; the French ending is closer to 'ree'. - naive · ny-EEV · /ˌnaɪˈiv/
Two syllables, with the stress on the second: 'ny-EEV'. - facade · fuh-SAHD · /fəˈsɑd/
The c sounds like s: 'fuh-SAHD'. The final e is silent. - suite · SWEET · /swit/
Sounds exactly like sweet, not like suit. - coup · KOO · /ku/
The p is silent. Coup sounds like 'koo', rhyming with blue. - corps · KOR · /kɔr/
Both the p and the s are silent, so corps sounds like core. - faux · FOH · /foʊ/
The x is silent. Faux sounds exactly like foe. - chic · SHEEK · /ʃik/
Rhymes with seek. Start with 'sh', not 'ch'. - debut · DAY-byoo · /ˈdeɪbju/
The t is silent: 'day-BYOO' in the US, 'DAY-byoo' in Britain. - depot · DEE-poh · /ˈdipoʊ/
The t is silent and the ending is 'oh': 'DEE-poh' in the US, 'DEP-oh' in Britain. - valet · va-LAY · /væˈleɪ/
Americans drop the t ('va-LAY'); Britons often keep it ('VAL-it'). - beige · BAYZH · /beɪʒ/
Ends with the soft 'zh' sound in measure: 'bayzh'. - ensemble · ahn-SAHM-bul · /ɑnˈsɑmbəl/
Starts with 'on': 'on-SOM-bul'. - repertoire · REP-er-twor · /ˈrɛpɚˌtwɑr/
Ends with 'twar': 'REP-er-twar'. - silhouette · sil-uh-WET · /ˌsɪləˈwɛt/
The h is silent: 'sil-oo-ET', stressed on the last syllable. - Renaissance · ren-uh-SAHNS · /ˌrɛnəˈsɑns/
Americans say 'REN-uh-sahns'; Britons usually 'ruh-NAY-suns'. - liaison · lee-AY-zahn · /liˈeɪˌzɑn/
Three syllables: 'lee-AY-zon'. Don't drop the middle sound. - sabotage · SAB-uh-tahzh · /ˈsæbəˌtɑʒ/
Ends with the soft 'zh' sound: 'SAB-uh-tahzh'.
More tricky word lists
Silent letters
Letters that are written but never spoken. Most are leftovers from older spellings or from Latin and Greek roots.
Food and drink
Dishes and ingredients from Italian, Spanish, Japanese and other languages, often said very differently from how they look.
Said differently in the US and UK
Words where American and British speakers move the stress or change a vowel. Neither is wrong; pick the one that matches your audience.
Stress in an unexpected place
Words that are easy to spell out but easy to get wrong, because the strong syllable is not where you would guess.
Spellings that mislead
Everyday words whose letters point you toward the wrong sound.
Same spelling, two pronunciations
Heteronyms: words spelled the same way that change sound with meaning. In many noun and verb pairs the noun is stressed first and the verb last.
Often mispronounced
Common words that pick up an extra sound, lose one, or swap two.