Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

faux pas

/ˌfoʊ ˈpɑ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.27 in modern English

Syllables: faux -pas
IPA: /ˌfoʊ ˈpɑ/

19

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An embarrassing or tactless blunder.

verb

To commit a faux pas; to blunder.

Example Sentences

"Now my dear Lady Teazle if you but once make a trifling Faux Pas you can't conceive how cautious you would grow, and how ready to humour and agree with your Husband."
"A saint after repentance will forgive himself for a sin; a man about town will never forgive himself for a faux pas."
"He was also prone to faux pas, none as memorable as his 2014 secret escapade from the Élysée. He was captured in full-faced helmet on the back of a motor scooter on his way to meet his mistress, the actress Julie Gayet, who is now his wife."
"We could laugh at our scholastic blunders and our social faux pas's."

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French faux pas (“faux pas, blunder; misstep, false step”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌfoʊ ˈpɑ/
British English: /ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː/

Inflected Forms

faux pas's (plural) faux pas'ing (participle, present) faux pas'ed (participle, past) faux pas'ed (past)

Synonyms

misstep mistake blunder aberration bloomer blooper boner boo-boo break clanger cock-up disadventure

Questions

How do you pronounce faux pas?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌfoʊ ˈpɑ/.
What does faux pas mean?: An embarrassing or tactless blunder.
Where does faux pas come from?: Unadapted borrowing from French faux pas (“faux pas, blunder; misstep, false step”).

How to pronounce faux pas

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “faux pas”.
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