Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

risqué

/ɹəˈskeɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.43 in modern English

Syllables
ris-qué
IPA
/ɹəˈskeɪ/
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French risqué (“risky”), an adjective use of the past participle of risquer (“to put at risk; to risk”), from risque (“risk”, noun) + -er (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs). Risque is derived from Old Italian risco (“risk”) (modern Italian rischio), possibly a deverbal from resecare or from Vulgar Latin *resecum, both from Latin resecō (“to cut loose or off, etc.”), from re- (intensifying prefix) + secō (“to cut; to cut off”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut; to cut off, sever”)).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *sek-, risco, *resecum, resecō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɹəˈskeɪ/
  • British English: /ˈɹɪskeɪ/

Inflected Forms

more risqué (comparative) most risqué (superlative) risque (alternative) risquée (alternative)

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce risqué?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɹəˈskeɪ/.
What does risqué mean?
Slightly sexually suggestive; bordering on indelicate.
Where does risqué come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce risqué

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