12 Most Difficult French Words To Pronounce

Blog
04 May 2023
By Sarah Angela Almaden
Japanese House
Unsplash: Włodzimierz Jaworski

Most of us believe that French is a very melodic language. And that many of its words sound so romantic in our ears. Not until we possibly hear the most difficult French words to pronounce… dun dun dun. Now, would that change our perception of the French language? Maybe. Maybe not. The answer is up to each one of us. But regardless of how easy or difficult some words sound, the verdict is still likely to be the same: French has a distinct, special sound in our ears. When it comes to some of the hardest French words to pronounce… well, let’s think of it this way: they are the ones that make this Romance language extra special

    1. Mille-feuille
      Pronunciation: mil-fu-yuh
      Meaning: French puff pastry made out of layers that means “a thousand leaves”
    2. Inébranlablement
      Pronunciation: in-ey-brah-lah-blah-moh
      Meaning: an adverb that means unbreakably
    3. Serrurerie
      Pronunciation: sey-ruh-ruh-ree
      Meaning: locksmith
    4. Écureuil
      Pronunciation: ey-kyu-re-uy
      Meaning: squirrel
    5. Chirurgien
      Pronunciation: chi-ruhr-jyan
      Meaning: surgeon
    6. Vadrouiller
      Pronunciation: vad-rwee-yeh
      Meaning: mop
    7. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobie
      Pronunciation: ek-sa-ko-si-oy-ek-see-kon-ta-ek-sa-fo-bee
      Meaning: fear of the number 666
    8. Bouilloire
      Pronunciation: boo-lwah
      Meaning: kettle
    9. Fauteuil
      Pronunciation: foh-teuy
      Meaning: armchair
    10. Quincaillerie
      Pronunciation: kahn-kay-yeh-ree
      Meaning: hardware store
    11. Caoutchouc
      Pronunciation: kowt-schuk
      Meaning: rubber
    12. Heureuse
      Pronunciation: eu-reuh
      Meaning: happy