There truly is nothing sweeter than a fine French pastry.
Whether you’re travelling in France, watching your favourite cooking competition or thinking of ordering at the local French patisserie, you’ll want to learn how to pronounce these delicious treats.
French pastries are known for being buttery, flaky, sweet and so delicious!
Learning to pronounce them will be a lot of fun, but beware!
Don’t read or watch the video on an empty stomach, or you may get very hungry!
Here are my Top Tips to say these French Pastry Names correctly:
Crème brûlée
This delightful custard dessert has a funny English translation: burnt cream. Despite this, the dish is sweet, creamy and a big fan favourite.
Take note of the many accents in these words and practice your pronunciation. If you get stuck, ask for help!
4 easy ingredients: Cream (la crème), Sugar (le sucre), Egg yolk (le jaune d’œuf)and Vanilla (la vanille).
This dessert is pronounced: KrembRu-lay
Brioche
There has been a rise in popularity for this simple bread in recent years: brioche buns for burgers and other savoury dishes have become a staple at many cafes.
You may be familiar with the ‘oi’ sound in French words; remember that in this word, it is an ‘io’ sound instead.
This delicious French pastry is pronounced: Bree-oh-sh
Éclair au chocolat
This is one of my favourite desserts! I know many people who also love to indulge in Éclair au chocolat!
Remember the very soft sound at the end of the word chocolat.
This dessert is pronounced: Ei-k-lair oh sho-ko-lah
Meringue
A dessert much loved in both France and Australia, my two homes. This light and fluffy dessert is simple and delicate, but oh so delicious!
Be careful with your pronunciation of this word: the ‘g’ is voiced, but not harsh. Give it a try!
In French, this pastry is pronounced: Mer-ahn-G
Croissant – The most well known French pastry
A classic breakfast food, the humble croissant is a truly buttery and flaky dish. You may even see croissant au beurre, which just means they are extra buttery!
The key to pronouncing this word is to not forget to pronounce the ‘r’ at the beginning.
This French pastry is pronounced: Kr-wah-son
Les viennoiseries
This is the name given to encompass all of the breakfast-style pastries: croissants, viennoise, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, chausson aux pommes. Notice that this word has that ‘oise’ sound in it; try practicing a few times until you get it just right.
Originally from Vienna in Austria, Intermediate French learners can read more about the origin here.
This word is pronounced: ley Vee-en-wah-zer-ee
Hungry for more?
Find these pronunciations plus a lot more in our corresponding video.
Let me walk you through each pronunciation, with some tips for those extra tricky ones.
By now you should be feeling more confident and comfortable to order your favourite pastry at your local French patisserie.
Want to share your favourite French foods with us?
Join our Facebook group Unlock Your French and make some new online connections! Along with fellow students, join in for ongoing pronunciation challenges, helpful video tutorials and friendly advice.
C’est tout pour le moment!
And if pronunciation and improving your listening are something you want to dive in deeper with, take a look at my ‘Pronounce and Understand French better’ online course.
The course doors are now open and you can do the 12 modules in your own time.
