SpellingIQ

French spelling in English

What each French convention writes, with examples, and which ones give a word away on sight.

Where these spellings come from

The largest borrowed layer, in two waves. After 1066 French scribes respelled English with their own habits (qu, ou, gn), and French words came in by the thousand. Later loans kept French endings as they were: que and gue for the k and g sounds, ette, eur, eau, a silent final t or s.

Spellings to recognize on sight

Each of these is a French way of writing a sound, and each can be spotted in a word by looking at it. They are also where a speller working by ear writes the plain letters instead.

  • eau for the o sound · bureau, plateau
  • que for the k sound at the end · boutique, technique
  • gue for the g sound at the end · fatigue, league
  • ette at the end · silhouette, cigarette
  • eur at the end · amateur, entrepreneur
  • silent u after g before e or i · guide, guitar
  • silent g beside n · campaign, foreign

Spellings shared with other layers

These are French habits too, but the same letters turn up in words from other layers or read more than one way, so they are a hint rather than a sign.

  • ch for the sh sound · chef, machine
  • oi for the wa sound · reservoir, memoir
  • ou for the oo sound · soup, route
  • et for the ay sound at the end · ballet, gourmet
  • silent final t · debut, depot
  • silent final s · debris, chassis
  • qu for the k sound · masquerade, conquer

Background

How this layer fits beside the others, and where the boundaries between them blur, is on where English spelling comes from.

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Other origins

All spelling traps and origins

References