Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pièce de résistance

/piˈɛs də ɹəˈzɪs.tɑ̃s/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English

Syllables
piece de re-sis-tance
IPA
/piˈɛs də ɹəˈzɪs.tɑ̃s/
22
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime.

noun

The chief dish at a dinner.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French pièce de résistance; the first use of this phrase in English appears in 1789 in Richard Cumberland's novel Arundel.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: pièce de résistance

Inflected Forms

pièces de résistance (plural) piece de resistance (alternative, common)

Synonyms

magnum opus masterpiece

Questions

How do you pronounce pièce de résistance?
The recorded pronunciation is /piˈɛs də ɹəˈzɪs.tɑ̃s/.
What does pièce de résistance mean?
A masterpiece; the most memorable accomplishment of one’s career or lifetime.
Where does pièce de résistance come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce pièce de résistance

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pièce de résistance”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/piˈɛs də ɹəˈzɪs.tɑ̃s/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pièce de résistance”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pièce de résistance” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.