20 French Words You Already Use in English (Pronounced Correctly)
Déjà vu, café, cliché, entrepreneur - 20 French loanwords in everyday English, with the original French pronunciation you've probably never heard.
English speakers use French loanwords daily: déjà vu, cliché, rendezvous, entrepreneur, café, restaurant, menu, and chic are all originally French. Most are pronounced differently in English than in French - hors d’œuvre, for instance, sounds quite different from its French original.
Quick answer
English speakers use French loanwords daily: déjà vu, cliché, rendezvous, entrepreneur, café, restaurant, menu, and chic are all originally French. Most are pronounced differently in English than in French - hors d’œuvre, for instance, sounds quite different from its French original.
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For the reverse direction - French words that look like English - see French words you already recognize.
Everyday loanwords
| Word | French pronunciation |
|---|---|
| déjà vu | /day-zhah VÜ/ |
| cliché | /klee-SHAY/ |
| rendezvous | /rahn-day-VOO/ |
| entrepreneur | /ahn-truh-pruh-NUHR/ |
| souvenir | /soo-vuh-NEER/ |
| façade | /fah-SAHD/ |
Food and dining loanwords
café, restaurant, menu, cuisine, buffet, hors d’œuvre.
Fashion and culture loanwords
chic, boutique, avant-garde, silhouette, genre.
The pronunciation gap: how French really says them
hors d’œuvre sounds like /or DUHVR/ in French - noticeably different from the common English pronunciation. Entrepreneur keeps its French /uhr/ ending far more nasally than the English version. Even café retains a crisper, un-glided final /ay/ in French.
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Questions about this note
What does déjà vu mean literally?
"Already seen."
Is entrepreneur a French word?
Yes - from entreprendre, "to undertake."
How do the French pronounce hors d'œuvre?
/or DUHVR/ - quite different from the common English pronunciation.
Why does English have so many French loanwords?
Centuries of Norman French influence and cultural borrowing, especially in food, fashion and diplomacy.
Is café originally French?
Yes, from café (coffee/coffee house).