What is the weirdest French word?

La pomme de terre. This may be the most common and strange compound word of the French language. Literally, it translates as “apple from Earth” or “apple of the Earth”, it actually means a mere potato.

Is the Z in French silent?

The letter ‘Z’ in French is pronounced like the ‘Z’ in English: listen. That’s simple enough, but there’s one twist to the ‘Z’ in French as it can also be a silent letter. This occurs in almost every instance in which the ‘Z’ appears at the end of a word.

What words don’t exist in French?

The words in bold are in French and listed in alphabetical order….English nuances lacking in French

• annuler : cancel, annul, nullify, rescind, void, overrule…
• effacer : delete, erase, rub out, efface, clear, wipe…
• escalader : scale, escalade, climb (up), clamber (up), scramble (up)

Do French people pronounce s?

Just as in English, the letter ‘S’ is used often in French. While it typically sounds exactly as you’d expect, there is a second pronunciation you’ll need to know. This lesson will guide you through the sounds and even give you a few words to practice with.

Why are so many words mispronounced in French?

Several words on this list are mispronounced because people think they require a French flair. However, words like foyer are pronounced just as they’re spelled in American English. We don’t like two syllables in succession with an [r] so some of us dump the first one in this word.

How many words are you mispronouncing in English?

Fifteen words even you might be mispronouncing. English is hard to spell. Nevertheless, most of us get by with a combination of some basic phonetics, habits from school, and occasional trips to the dictionary (and learning from a few embarrassing mistakes along the way).

Why is English so hard to pronounce?

English can get really problematic when it comes to public speaking, because it’s crammed with so many words that almost all of us have struggled to pronounce at least once or twice. As writers of several grammar books, we’ve heard many words mispronounced over the years.

What words are similar to French words in English?

There are a few words that are pronounced in English quite close to their French equivalents: déjà vu, bon voyage, à la mode (even if we use this differently in English on occasion), crème de la crème, avant-garde, faux pas, and je ne sais quoi.