95 French Words Used in English that You Didn't Know

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The development of the English language has been a long and complicated one. Many historical events, such as the Norman conquest of the British Isles, have helped develop the language. While English is always evolving and new words are consistently being adding to the dictionary, currently about 56% of English words have French and Latin origins.^[1]Medium – The English language is a lot more French than we thought, here’s why In fact, you might actually understand a lot more French than you actually realize. With that in mind check out below for 95 French words used in English.

Table of Contents

French words used in English ending in -ble

Below are several English words with French origins ending in -ble:

Adorable
Comfortable
Stable
Table
Visible

French words used in English ending in -ible

Below are two English words with French origins ending in -ible:

Accessible
Audible

French words used in English ending in -tion

Words in English that end in -tion come from Latin. French also comes from Latin. Therefore, there are many identical words that both end in -tion between the two languages. Below are several English words with French origins ending in -tion:

Action
Attention
Communication
Compétition
Connexion
Information
Justification
Télévision
Transformation

French words used in English that originally had a circumflex

In French, the circumflex is used to show that the letter “s” used to follow the vowel. Below are two English words with French origins that had a circumflex:

Forest
Hospital

French words used in English related to food

When you are looking for English words with French origins, you are bound to find many within the theme of food. Below are several English words with French origins related to food:

à la carte
Alcool
Apéritif
Bon appétit
Café
Chef
Hors d’oeuvre
Maître d
Menu
Omelette
picnic
Pot-pourri
Restaurant
Salade
Soufflé
Soupe
Vinaigrette

French words related to fashion and appearances

Similar to food, France is well known for fashion. Therefore, it is not such a big surprise to find out that there are also many English words that have French origins related to this field. Below are several English words with French origins related to fashion and appearance:

Chic
Couture
Etiquette
Petite
Prêt-à-porter
Silhouette

Other common French words used in English

French and English have been mixed for such a long time, that many common words can be found between the two languages. Below are several additional English words with French origins: