Five minutes, every morning
French Word of the Day
One French word at a time: what it means, how it sounds, and the sentence to steal. New words land on Telegram every morning; every word ever featured is archived below.
- 40
- words so far
- 365
- a year, one a day
- 5 min
- a day
Today’s word
Every word so far
A to Z — filter or jump above · get it daily on Telegram →- ambiance[ɑ̃.bjɑ̃s]n.f.atmosphere / vibe / mood
- apéro[a.pe.ʁo]n.m.pre-dinner drinks and nibbles with friends; a cherished ritual
- bof[bɔf]expr.meh — a verbal shrug for anything underwhelming
- bonjour[bɔ̃.ʒuʁ]interj.hello / good day
- bosser[bɔse]v.to work — what the French actually say instead of 'travailler'
- bouquiner[bu.ki.ne]v.to read for pure pleasure; to browse through books
- bref[bʁɛf]adv.anyway, in short — the word that rescues a rambling story
- carrément[ka.ʁe.mɑ̃]adv.completely / totally / straight-up
- chiner[ʃi.ne]v.to hunt for second-hand treasures at flea markets
- chouette[ʃwɛt]adj.great, lovely — also, delightfully, the word for an owl
- convivial[kɔ̃.vi.vjal]adj.warm and friendly (of places / gatherings)
- coup de foudre[ku də fudʁ]expr.love at first sight (lit. a lightning strike)
- dépayser[de.pɛ.i.ze]v.to give a refreshing change of scenery (untranslatable!)
- dommage[dɔ.maʒ]expr.(what a) shame / too bad
- doux[du]adj.soft / gentle / mild (fem. douce)
- du coup[dy ku]expr.so, as a result — spoken French's favourite way to link ideas
- épanoui[e.pa.nwi]adj.fulfilled / blossoming / thriving
- esprit d'escalier[ɛs.pʁi dɛs.ka.lje]expr.the perfect retort you think of once it's too late
- flâner[flɑ.ne]v.to wander / stroll with no purpose
- flemme[flɛm]n.f.can't-be-bothered laziness, as in 'j'ai la flemme'
- franchement[fʁɑ̃ʃ.mɑ̃]adv.honestly / frankly
- frileux[fʁi.lø]adj.always feeling the cold; by extension, cautious or risk-shy
- genre[ʒɑ̃ʁ]expr.'like' — filler, approximator and sceptical retort in one
- gourmand[ɡuʁ.mɑ̃]adj.someone who loves good food (fondly, not greedy)
- grasse matinée[ɡʁɑs ma.ti.ne]expr.a lazy lie-in; literally 'a fat morning' spent in bed
- hâte[ɑt]n.f.eagerness — used in "avoir hâte" = to look forward to
- kiffer[kife]v.to love, to get a real kick out of something
- malin[ma.lɛ̃]adj.clever / crafty (fem. maligne)
- profiter[pʁɔ.fi.te]v.to make the most of / enjoy
- quand même[kɑ̃ mɛm]expr.still / anyway / all the same
- râler[ʁɑ.le]v.to grumble / moan (a national sport in France!)
- rentrée[ʁɑ̃.tʁe]n.f.the September return to school, work and real life
- retrouvailles[ʁə.tʁu.vaj]n.f. pl.a joyful reunion
- se blottir[sə blɔ.tiʁ]v.to snuggle or curl up cosily against someone or something
- se débrouiller[sə de.bʁu.je]v.to manage, to get by, to figure it out yourself
- souci[su.si]n.m.worry — famous in "pas de souci" = no worries
- terroir[tɛ.ʁwaʁ]n.m.the soil-and-soul of a place that flavours its food and wine
- truc[tʁyk]n.m.thing, whatsit — the word for anything you can't quite name
- vachement[vaʃmɑ̃]adv.really, hugely — the everyday intensifier (literally 'cow-ly')
- volontiers[vɔ.lɔ̃.tje]adv.gladly / with pleasure
Why one word a day beats fifty on Sunday
The French Word of the Day is the smallest possible learning habit: one new word, every day, with its pronunciation, its gender, and an example sentence showing how French actually uses it. Five minutes, free, daily — and the arithmetic is quietly ruthless: a word a day is 365 words a year, and since we pick for frequency, they’re the words French conversation actually runs on.
How to use each day’s word
Don’t just read it — run the ritual: say the word aloud (pronunciation lives in the mouth), read the example sentence twice, then build ONE sentence of your own with it before the day ends. A word you’ve used belongs to you; a word you’ve seen belongs to the website. Yesterday’s words are all archived below, so a missed week is a Sunday’s catch-up, and beginners can scroll the archive as a ready-made frequency list.
Why daily beats binge
Memory research and every language teacher agree: spaced small doses beat heroic sessions. Fifty words on Sunday feel productive and evaporate by Thursday; one word met today, reused tomorrow, and spotted in a song next week gets consolidated for good. Pair the daily word with our themed vocabulary lists when a word hooks your interest — the word of the day is the front door, the lists are the rooms. Start with today’s word above: dites-la à voix haute, and it’s already half yours.