Most Beautiful French Words That Will Impress Anyone

France in all its romantic European glory is steeped in history with a rich language that matches its cultural depth. Widely known as the language of love, French, a romance language of Europe, has always been known for its eloquent phrases and elegant pronunciations. There are beautiful French words which are beautiful to speak and wonderfully evocative.

Learning these is fun and they’re useful words for both conversation and writing, really helping you spice up your French vocabulary. These beautiful French words will impress French native speakers and enhance your pronunciation of both simple and advanced phonetic sounds.

Here are the most beautiful French words

Argent – silver

Argent is used in English too to refer to something silver and shiny. For example,a damsel in distress may be rescued by an argent squire..romantic!

Masculine, noun

Atout – asset

Masculine, noun

Arabesque – in Arabic fashion or style

Feminine, noun

Bijoux – jewelry

Masculine, noun

Bisous – kisses

Masculine, noun

Example: ‘She said farewell to him with lots of hugs and kisses’ – Elle lui a dit adieu avec beaucoup de câlins et de bisous

Bonbon – candy

This French word for candy is used all over the world. Bonbons mean candy in a lot of countries, it’s a word which suits them perfectly

Masculine, noun

Brindille – twig

Feminine, noun

Example: ‘Twigs and leaves crack underfoot in the autumn sun’ – Sous le soleil d’autumn les brindilles et les feuilles se cassent sous nos pas

Câlin – hug

Masculine, noun

Cliché – stereotype

Masculine, noun

Chagrin – grief

Masculine, adjective

Cherie – dear

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Mon Cheri’ in a romantic movie? It means ‘my dear’ or ‘my darling’.

Feminine, noun

Chouchou – darling

Feminine, noun

Coeur – heart

Masculine, noun

Example: ‘The sacred heart is a famous parisian church’ – Le sacré cœur est une église parisienne

Consciencieuse – conscientious

Feminine, adjective

Coquelicot – poppy

Masculine, noun

Couture – sewing

Feminine, verb

Créneau – niche

Masculine, noun

Décolleté – neckline on a woman’s dress or top

Masculine, noun

éphémère – ephemeral, (lasting a short time)

Masculine, noun

Escargot – snail

L’escargot are snails, which are world famous delicacies in French cuisine.

Masculine, noun

Étoile – star

Feminine, noun

Excellence – to surpass

Yes, this really is the same as the English word excellence and their definitions are the same.

Feminine, adjective

Florilège – anthology

Masculine, noun

Jolie – pretty

Some surnames, like that of Angelina Jolie use this French word.

Feminine, adjective

Incroyable – incredible

Another French word which sounds very close to its English equivalent.

Feminine, noun

Libellule – dragonfly

Feminine, noun

Example: ‘A dragonfly zips over glistening water’ – La libellule se faufile sur l’eau brillante

Magnifique – wonderful

Feminine, adjective

Mélange – mixture

Masculine, noun

Noir – black

Noir is used internationally to denote dark films and cinema, a trend which originated in France; ‘Film Noir’

Masculine, adjective

Pamplemousse – grapefruit

Masculine, noun

Pantoufle – slipper

Feminine, noun

Papillon – butterfly

This French word seems delicate, just like a butterfly. French words have an awesome ability to mirror the fragility of what they are describing.

Masculine, noun

Parapluie – umbrella

You can see here the common prefix ‘para’ meaning ‘beside’ or ‘at one side’. So a parasol, which is an umbrella for the sun, means that it is beside the sun (and therefore shielding it).

Masculine, noun

Paupiette – a piece of meat, beaten thin, and rolled with a stuffing of vegetables, fruits or sweetmeats

Feminine, noun

Romanichel – gypsy

Feminine, noun

Silhouette – silhouette

Feminine, noun

Soirée – evening

Soiree is used in English to denote a posh or formal night, usually with accompanying musical performance or other similar artful activity.

Feminine, noun

Tournesol – sunflower

Feminine, noun