Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

au courant

/ˌoʊ kʊˈɹɑnt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.54 in modern English

Syllables: au -courant
IPA: /ˌoʊ kʊˈɹɑnt/

11

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Up to date; informed about the latest developments; abreast.

Example Sentences

"Doctor Portman and Smirke were both cautious of informing the widow of the constant outbreak of calumny which was pursuing poor Pen, though Glanders, who was a friend of the house, kept him au courant."
"As Hemingway once noted, Paris is an old city—and so even a 1946 film looks au courant: part of the aesthetic air."
"Its hipness recalls the films of Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax, making for an intoxicating blend of the retro and au courant."
"A paragon from the Global South, as no one I know who lives there calls it, would be very 21st century, very au courant."
"“Know Your Enemy,” an au courant lefty podcast, has devoted multiple episodes to discussions of Freud, who has become a frequent topic of conversation among the show’s hosts."

Etymology

Borrowed from French au courant (literally “to the current”).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: au courant

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌoʊ kʊˈɹɑnt/
British English: /əʊ kʊˈɹɒn(t)/

Inflected Forms

more au courant (comparative) most au courant (superlative)

Synonyms

au parfum abreast au fait up on

Questions

How do you pronounce au courant?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌoʊ kʊˈɹɑnt/.
What does au courant mean?: Up to date; informed about the latest developments; abreast.
Where does au courant come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce au courant

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