Words from French

Spelling Tips

1. 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. 2 A word from French ending with a stressed \et\ is usually spelled with ette as in layette and croquette.
3. 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. 4 One way to spell long a (\ā\) at the end of a word from French is with er as in dossier and in one pronunciation of foyer.
5. 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. 6 Words ending with an \äzh\ sound are common in French. This sound is spelled age as in collage, dressage, garage, mirage, and barrage.
7. 7 A \k\ sound at the end of a word from French is often spelled que as in physique, mystique, and boutique.
8. 8 The \ü\ sound (as in rouge and boutique) is usually spelled with ou in words from French. Sometimes, however, it is spelled with u as in tutu.
9. 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 gauche and quiche.
10. 10 Words ending with an \äd\ sound are common in French. This sound is spelled ade as in fusillade.
11. 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\.