Words from French
Study Words
- peloton
- barrage
- chagrin [1]
- pacifism
- manicure
- altruism
- bureaucracy
- mascot
- parfait
- mystique
- layette [2]
- boutique
- dressage
- croquet
- gorgeous
- denture
- mirage
- denim
- cachet [3]
- neologism
- beige
- diplomat
- motif
- suave
- foyer [4]
- clementine
- ambulance
- rehearse
- leotard
- prairie [5]
- diorama
- entourage
- fuselage
- boudoir
- collage [6]
- amenable
- expertise
- matinee
- plateau
- sortie
- croquette
- physique [7]
- elite
- deluxe
- nougat
- rouge [8]
- escargot
- crochet
- regime
- doctrinaire
- tutu
- bevel
- menu
- egalitarian
- quiche [9]
- fatigue
- garage
- morgue
- stethoscope
- vogue
- musicale
- palette
- flamboyant
- baton
- souvenir
- impasse
- finesse
- maladroit
Challenge Words
- gauche
- rapport
- camouflage
- genre
- virgule
- debacle
- fusillade [10]
- saboteur
- renaissance
- chauvinism
- recidivist
- chassis
- détente
- raconteur
- mayonnaise [11]
- surveillance
- repertoire
- dossier
- taupe
- poignant
- garçon
- croissant
- ecru
- lieutenant
- protégé
- mélange
- blasé
- fête
- ingenue
- rendezvous
Spelling Tips
- 1 French nearly always spells the \sh\ sound with ch, and this spelling of the sound is very common in words from French. Chagrin, chauvinism, and crochet are examples.
- 2 A word from French ending with a stressed \et\ is usually spelled with ette as in layette and croquette.
- 3 A long a sound (\ā\) at the end of a word from French can be spelled a number of ways. One of the more common ways is with et as in cachet, croquet, and crochet.
- 4 One way to spell long a at the end of a word from French is with er as in dossier and in foyer. (Most Americans, however, do not pronounce the ending of foyer with a long a.)
- 5 A long e sound (\ē\) at the end of a word from French can be spelled with ie as in prairie and sortie. (But see exercise 4 under Now You Try for another spelling of the long e ending.)
- 6 Words ending with an \äzh\ sound are common in French. This sound is spelled age as in collage, mirage, dressage, garage, barrage, camouflage, entourage, and fuselage.
- 7 A \k\ sound at the end of a word from French is often spelled que as in physique, mystique, and boutique.
- 8 The \ü\ sound (as in rouge and many other words on the list) in words from French is usually spelled with ou. Sometimes, however, it is spelled with u as in tutu and ecru.
- 9 When the \sh\ sound occurs at the end of a word from French, there is nearly always a silent e that follows it, as in quiche and gauche.
- 10 Words ending with an \äd\ sound are common in French. This sound is spelled ade as in fusillade.
- 11 French speakers have a number of vowels that English speakers modify in pronunciation. Our way of pronouncing the French aise (pronounced \ez\ in French) is usually \āz\.