Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

je ne sais quoi

/ˌʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.09 in modern English

Syllables
je ne -sais quoi
IPA
/ˌʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑ/
28
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An indefinable quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French je ne sais quoi (literally “I don't know what”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑ/
  • British English: /ˌʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑː/

Rhymes With

la ya ma ah ha da pa na nah ha-ha fa ar

Questions

How do you pronounce je ne sais quoi?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑ/.
What does je ne sais quoi mean?
An indefinable quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.
Where does je ne sais quoi come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce je ne sais quoi

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