135 sneaky French words used in English that you know & love

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.