Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

enfant terrible

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.53 in modern English

Syllables
en-fan-t ter-ri-ble
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
5
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An unconventional badly-behaved person who causes embarrassment or shock to others.

noun

A wild child.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French enfant terrible (literally “terrible child”).

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

What does enfant terrible mean?
An unconventional badly-behaved person who causes embarrassment or shock to others.
Where does enfant terrible come from?
Unadapted borrowing from French enfant terrible (literally “terrible child”).

How to pronounce enfant terrible

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