Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

comme il faut

/ˌkʌmilˈfoʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.10 in modern English

Syllables: com-me il -faut
IPA: /ˌkʌmilˈfoʊ/

20

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Proper; in keeping with etiquette or social standards.

Example Sentences

""Georgiana, put on your blue muslin, and ask Fanchette to make your hair a little comme-il-faut; and pray try to look well and cheerful; you were not up late, and ought to appear the better for it.""
"2007: Talking during performances is perfectly comme il faut in Wharton – why else go to a show if not to talk to one’s friends? – so while Miss Shaw, up to her bosom in dirt, went on about existence, I asked my female companion for advice. — Deborah Friedell, ‘Short Cuts’, London Review of Books 29:5"

Etymology

Borrowed from French comme il faut (literally “as is necessary, as must be”).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: comme il faut

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌkʌmilˈfoʊ/
British English: /ˌkʌmiːlˈfəʊ/

Inflected Forms

more comme il faut (comparative) most comme il faut (superlative)

Synonyms

becoming comely decorous seemly

Questions

How do you pronounce comme il faut?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkʌmilˈfoʊ/.
What does comme il faut mean?: Proper; in keeping with etiquette or social standards.
Where does comme il faut come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce comme il faut

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “comme il faut”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌkʌmilˈfoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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