135 sneaky French words used in English that you know & love
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Dreaming of learning French but afraid it’s too difficult? Well, this article will come as a mood booster! Yes, we have great news for you: if your native language is English, you’re not a complete beginner in French. You know at least hundreds of words or more!
Indeed, the English language has inherited many words from French — 7000 to be accurate — and you probably use some of them on a daily basis. Even better, about 30% of English words come from the French language!
That’s right, if you need a good reason to start learning la langue de Molière, there it is. Discover the most common French words used in English, la crème de la crème du vocabulaire !
Why are French words used in English?
First things first. You might be wondering why English, supposedly a Germanic language, includes so many French — a Romance language — words? Well, you might not be of a curious nature, but I am. So I looked it up for you!
You see, following the Norman Conquest of 1066, England was ruled by… well… the Normans. And they spoke an Old French language: Anglo-Norman French. Obviously, it began to influence the language of law, culture and administration in England. Long (hi)story short, centuries later, I can finish with “et voilà”, and you understand!
French phrases used in English
Let’s take a look at a few different areas that full of French phrases and words used in English.
Food
The words below are the same, or very similar in English. For more mouth-watering vocabulary, check our article on food and restaurants in French, and drinks in French. Bon appétit !
| Phrase | French Meaning | English Meaning | IPA |
| À la carte | Separate items on the menu | Separate items on the menu | a la kaɾtə |
| Menu | List of dishes offered or today’s special | List of dishes offered | məny |
| Apéritif | Pre-dinner drink, sometimes with munchies | Pre-dinner drink | apeɾitif |
| Diner | Supper | Small, informal restaurant | dine |
| Croissant | Half moon-shaped pastry or half moon | Half moon-shaped pastry | kɾwasɑ̃ |
| Salade | Salad or lettuce | Salad | saladə |
| Soupe | Soup | Soup | supə |
| Bisque | Creamy soup, usually lobster | Creamy soup, usually lobster | biskə |
| Omelette | Flat egg dish | Flat egg dish | ɔməlɛtə |
| Bon appétit | Enjoy your meal | Enjoy your meal | bõn‿ apeti |
| Hors d’œuvre | Appetizer before a meal | Appetizer before a meal | ɔɾ dœvɾə |
| Vinaigrette | Salad dressing | Salad dressing | vinɛgɾɛtə |
| Restaurant | Restaurant | Restaurant | ɾɛstɔɾɑ̃ |
| Cordon bleu | Great cook or cordon bleu dish | Cordon bleu dish | kɔɾdõ blø |
| Alcool | Alcohol | Alcohol | alkoɔl |
| Chef | Cook | Cook | ʃɛf |
| Crouton | Toasted/fried pieces of bread, usually served with a salad or a soup | Toasted/fried pieces of bread, usually served with a salad or a soup | kɾutõ |
| Maître d’hôtel | Head waiter | Head waiter | mɛtɾə dotɛl |
| Café | Coffee, coffee house | Coffee house | kafe |
| Soufflé | Fluffy dish (sweet or savory) | Fluffy dish (sweet or savory) | sufle |
| À la mode | With ale, carrots and onions | With ice cream | a la mɔdə |
| Sommelier | Wine steward | Wine steward | sɔməlje |
| Sauté | Fried in a small amount of oil | Fried in a small amount of oil | sote |
| Roux | Mixture of flour and oil used as a cooking base | Mixture of flour and oil used as a cooking base | ɾuks |
| Béchamel | Mixture of butter, milk and flour | Mixture of butter, milk and flour | beʃamɛl |
| Courgette (British) | Zucchini | Zucchini | kuɾʒɛtə |
| Gâteau (British) | Cake | Cake | gɑto |
| Aubergine (British) | Eggplant | Eggplant | obɛɾʒinə |
| Cornichon (British) | Pickle | Pickle | kɔɾniʃõ |
Places
If you want to further expand your horizons — beyond the cul-de-sac —, check out this article on geography and landforms in French.
| Phrase | French Meaning | English Meaning | IPA |
| Cul-de-sac | Dead end street | Dead end street with houses | kyl-də-sak |
| Impasse | Dead end, or a situation with no solution depending on context | A situation with no solution | ɛ̃pasə |
| Arcade | A covered street/alley with shops | Place to play video games | aɾkadə |
| Garage | Covered parking or workshop for car repair | Covered parking | gaɾaʒə |
| Cinéma | Movie theater or movies | Movie theater or movies | sinema |
Fashion
If you’re getting excited at the mere mention of French fashion, don’t miss our complete guide on clothing in French. J’adore !
| Phrase | French Meaning | English Meaning | IPA |
| Prêt-à-porter | Clothes that can be buy as is, not tailor-made | Clothes that can be buy as is, not tailor-made | pɾ(e)t‿-a-pɔɾte |
| Haute couture | High fashion | High fashion | otə kutyɾə |
| Couture | Sewing | Fashion | kutyɾə |
| Silhouette | Silhouette | Silhouette | silwɛtə |
| Petite | Short, small | Short, small | pətitə |
| Faux (like faux fur) | Fake | Fake | fo (likə fo fyɾ) |
| Sans fard | Without foundation | Without makeup | sɑ̃ faɾ |
| Eau de toilette | Perfume | Perfume | o də twalɛtə |
| (Eau de) cologne | Cologne | Cologne | (o dɛ) kɔlɔɲə |
| Armoire | Wardrobe, closet | Wardrobe closet | aɾmwaɾə |
| Boutique | Small shop | Small shop | butikə |
| Blouse | Loose-fitting top | Loose-fitting top | bluzə |
| Bonnet | Winter hat | Old-fashioned hat | bɔne |
| Bracelet | Piece of jewelry worn around the wrist | Piece of jewelry worn around the wrist | bɾasəle |
| Chapeau | Hat or well done | Hat | ʃapo |
| Chic | Stylish, elegant | Stylish, elegant | ʃik |
| Costume | Suit or outfit to dress like someone else | Outfit to dress like someone else | kɔstymə |
| Lingerie | Female underwear | Female underwear | lɛ̃ʒəɾjə |
| Robe | Dress | Dressing gown | ɾɔbə |
| Décolleté | Cleavage, garment with a low-cut neckline | Garment with a low-cut neckline | dekɔləte |
Other French words used in English
Some of these words are chic, some will allow you to shine at social events, and a couple are… Well, let me just say, pardon my French.
| Phrase | French Meaning | English Meaning | IPA |
| Art Nouveau | Art Nouveau | Art Nouveau | aɾ nuvo |
| Avant-garde | Forefront | Forefront | avɑ̃-gaɾdə |
| Bas-relief | Bas-relief | Bas-relief | ba-ɾəljɛf |
| Film noir | Dark movie | Dark movie | fil nwaɾ |
| Papier mâché | Paper pulp mixed with glue | Paper pulp mixed with glue | papje mɑʃe |
| Trompe l’œil | Mural that seems real (for example, a window, a door) | Mural that seems real (for example, a window, a door) | tɾõpə lœj |
| Brunette | A pretty girl with brown hair | A woman with brown hair | bɾynɛtə |
| Blond(e) | Blond | Blond | blõd(ɛ) |
| Adieu | Goodbye (more formal) | Goodbye | adjø |
| Au contraire | On the contrary | On the contrary | o kõtɾɛɾə |
| Sans | Without | Without | sɑ̃ |
| Chauffeur | Driver | Driver | ʃofœɾ |
| Critique | Critic | Critic | kɾitikə |
| Déjà vu | A feeling that you’ve experienced something before | A feeling that you’ve experienced something before | deʒa vy |
| En route | On the way | On the way | ɑ̃ ɾutə |
| Entrepreneur | Someone who has created a company | Someone who has created a company | ɑ̃tɾɛpɾənœɾ |
| Fiancé | Fiancé, male | Fiancé, male and female | fjɑ̃se |
| Genre | Type, category, sort of | Type, category | ʒɑ̃ɾə |
| Laissez-faire | Allow to do | A belief that people can do what they want | l(e)se-fɛɾə |
| Joie de vivre | Joy of living | Joy of living | ʒwaə də vivɾə |
| Apostrophe | Apostrophe | Apostrophe | apɔstɾɔpə |
| Nouveau riche | Rich people who didn’t inherit their fortune | Rich people who didn’t inherit their fortune | nuvo ɾiʃə |
| Faux pas | Social blunder | Social blunder | fo pa |
| Voyeur | A prying observer | A prying observer | vwajœɾ |
| RSVP | Répondez s’il vous plaît (Please answer to an invitation) | Please answer to an invitation | See French alphabet |
| Par excellence | Ideal, ultimate | Ideal, ultimate | paɾ ɛkssɛlɑ̃sə |
| Pot-pourri | Dry, scented flowers or melting pot, depending on the context | Dry, scented flowers | po-puri |
| Bon voyage | Have a nice trip | Safe travels | bõ vwajaʒə |
| Cliché | Stereotype or snapshot, depending on the context | Stereotype | kliʃe |
| Au pair | A nanny abroad, usually a student staying at a host family | A nanny abroad, usually a student staying at a host family | o pɛɾ |
| Femme fatale | Seductive woman | Seductive woman | famə fatalə |
| Ménage à trois | Three people living together as a “couple” | Threesome | menaʒ atɾwɑ |
| Bouquet | Bunch of flowers, wild or bought a flower shop | Flower Arrangement | buke |
| Milieu | Environment or middle, depending on the context | Environment | miljø |
| Bon vivant | Someone who enjoy living, especially food | Someone who enjoy living, especially food | bõ vivɑ̃ |
| Coup d’état | Seizure of power | Seizure of power | ku deta |
| Savoir-faire | Know-how | Know-how | savwaɾ-fɛɾə |
| De rigueur | Required | Required | də ɾigœɾ |
| Tête à tête | One-to-one, usually in a romantic context | One-to-one, usually in a romantic context | tɛt a tɛtə |
| Voilà | There you go, that’s it, there it is | There you go, that’s it, there it is | vwala |
| Du jour | Of the day | Of the day | dy ʒuɾ |
| Rendez-vous | Appointment, meeting, date | Date, meeting point (time or location) | ɾɑ̃de-vu |
| Beau | Handsome, pretty, beautiful | A love interest | bo |
| Bureau | Dresser or desk | A government department or office | byɾo |
| Courage | Bravery | Bravery | kuɾaʒə |
| Début | Beginning | The first performance of an artist | deby |
| Dinette | A small dining set (usually toy) | A small dining set (usually toy) | dinɛtə |
| Queue | Tail or line | Line | kø |
| Protégé | Protected or someone guided/influenced by a mentor | Someone guided/influenced by a mentor | pɾɔteʒe |
| Souvenir | Memory or memento/keepsake | Memento/keepsake | suvəniɾ |
| Bizarre | Weird | Weird | bizarə |
| Blasé | Unimpressed | Unimpressed | blaze |
| Bourgeois | Upper middle class or aristocratic | Upper middle class or aristocratic | buɾʒɛwa |
| Certain | Definite, positive | Definite, positive | sɛɾtɛ̃ |
| Content | Happy, satisfied | Happy, satisfied | kõtə |
| Cruel | Hurtful | Hurtful | kɾœl |
| Grave | Serious, solemn | Serious, solemn | gɾavə |
| Long | Lengthy | Lengthy | lõ |
| Orange | Fruit or color | Fruit or color | ɔɾɑ̃ʒə |
| Possible | Capable of being done | Capable of being done | pɔsiblə |
| Simple | Plain or naive | Plain or naive | sɛ̃plə |
| À propos | With regards to | With regards to | a pɾɔpo |
| Carte blanche | Having permission to do what one wants | Having permission to do what one wants | kaɾtə blɑ̃ʃə |
| En garde | On guard | On guard | ɑ̃ gaɾdə |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me | Excuse me | ɛkskyze-mwa |
| Je ne sais quoi | A quality or feature that is hard to describe | A quality or feature that is hard to describe | ʒə nə se kwa |
| Nom de plume | An alias for a writer | An alias for a writer | nõ də plymə |
| Touché | Touched or moved | Good counterpoint | tuʃe |
| Ridicule | Ridiculous | Ridiculous | ɾidikylə |
| Sabotage | Sabotage, tamper, vandalism | Sabotage, tamper, vandalism | sabɔtaʒə |
| Mirage | Illusion | Illusion | miɾaʒə |
| Façade | Facade, front | Facade, front | fasadə |
| Adroit | Dexterous | Dexterous | adɾwa |
| Aide-mémoire | Something to help one remember | Something to help one remember | (e)də-memwaɾə |
| Ballet | Classical type of dance | Classical type of dance | bale |
| Chaise longue | Long chair for reclining (outdoor) | Long chair for reclining | ʃɛzə lõgə |
| Comme ci, comme ça | So-so | So-so | kɔmə si, kɔmə sa |
| Concierge | Receptionist at a fancy hotel or residence building | Receptionist at a fancy hotel or residence building | kõsjɛɾʒə |
| Crème de la crème | Top notch, best of the best | Top notch, best of the best | kɾɛmə də la kɾɛmə |
| Décor | Layout, decoration and furnishing of a room/place | Layout, decoration and furnishing of a room/place | dekɔɾ |
| Derrière | Behind or buttocks depending on the context | Buttocks | dɛrjɛɾə |
| Force majeure | Unforeseeable and overpowering event | Unforeseeable and overpowering event | fɔɾsə maʒœɾə |
| Soirée | Evening, evening party | Evening party | swaɾeə |
Appearances are deceiving
I hate to be a “rabat-joie”, but unfortunately, there is a difference between French words in French and French words in English: the accent! Americans and Brits have their own proper way to pronounce French words, and most of the time, it doesn’t sound French. And I get it, because French pronunciation is no picnic!
In fact, when I pronounce French words like “rendez-vous” or “genre” with my French accent, my American friends don’t understand. So I change my accent to American, and all is well!
Watch this funny video for concrete examples and don’t worry, you won’t sound pretentious if you try to have a French accent!
French words in British and American English
If you already know these French words used in everyday English, you can work on your pronunciation to impress your friends… or save the day!
And if you want to keep expanding your French vocab, check out our free French vocabulary blog lessons.
