French Food Vocabulary — Words You Can Hear and Play
Food is where most people's French begins — you order it, you shop for it, you talk about it every single day. This page gathers the essential French food and drink vocabulary, from le pain (bread) and le fromage (cheese) to la pomme (apple) and l'eau (water), each paired with its English meaning and a button to hear it spoken aloud. A quick note for English speakers: every French noun carries a gender. Bread is masculine (le pain), an apple is feminine (la pomme), and there's no shortcut — the article is part of the word, so learn pomme and la together. French spelling also hides sounds: many final consonants stay silent, which is exactly why hearing each word matters more than reading it. Tap the 🔊 next to any word and a French voice says it for you. Read the list once to get your bearings, then stop reading — these words are far easier to remember when you meet them in motion, which is what the game at the bottom of this page is for.
Key words explained
- apple pomme She picked a ripe apple straight from the tree.
- bread pain We bought a warm loaf of bread from the bakery.
- milk lait He pours cold milk over his cereal every morning.
- egg œuf I fried an egg for breakfast.
- water eau After the run, I drank a tall glass of water.
- rice riz They served the curry with a bowl of steamed rice.
- meat viande The stew is packed with tender pieces of meat.
- fish poisson We grilled fresh fish for dinner by the sea.
All 150 French food words
| English | Pronunciation | French | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| apple | /ˈæpəl/ | pomme | |
| bread | /brɛd/ | pain | |
| milk | /mɪlk/ | lait | |
| egg | /ɛɡ/ | œuf | |
| water | /ˈwɔːtər/ | eau | |
| rice | /raɪs/ | riz | |
| meat | /miːt/ | viande | |
| fish | /fɪʃ/ | poisson | |
| chicken | /ˈtʃɪkɪn/ | poulet | |
| cheese | /tʃiːz/ | fromage | |
| butter | /ˈbʌtər/ | beurre | |
| sugar | /ˈʃʊɡər/ | sucre | |
| salt | /sɔːlt/ | sel | |
| oil | /ɔɪl/ | huile | |
| soup | /suːp/ | soupe | |
| coffee | /ˈkɔːfi/ | café | |
| tea | /tiː/ | thé | |
| juice | /dʒuːs/ | jus | |
| banana | /bəˈnænə/ | banane | |
| orange | /ˈɔːrɪndʒ/ | orange | |
| tomato | /təˈmeɪtoʊ/ | tomate | |
| potato | /pəˈteɪtoʊ/ | pomme de terre | |
| onion | /ˈʌnjən/ | oignon | |
| garlic | /ˈɡɑːrlɪk/ | ail | |
| cake | /keɪk/ | gâteau | |
| chocolate | /ˈtʃɑːklɪt/ | chocolat | |
| pizza | /ˈpiːtsə/ | pizza | |
| sandwich | /ˈsænwɪtʃ/ | sandwich | |
| salad | /ˈsæləd/ | salade | |
| meal | /miːl/ | repas | |
| carrot | /ˈkærət/ | carotte | |
| cucumber | /ˈkjuːkʌmbər/ | concombre | |
| pepper | /ˈpɛpər/ | poivron | |
| lettuce | /ˈlɛtɪs/ | laitue | |
| mushroom | /ˈmʌʃruːm/ | champignon | |
| corn | /kɔːrn/ | maïs | |
| grape | /ɡreɪp/ | raisin | |
| strawberry | /ˈstrɔːbɛri/ | fraise | |
| lemon | /ˈlɛmən/ | citron | |
| watermelon | /ˈwɔːtərˌmɛlən/ | pastèque | |
| pear | /pɛr/ | poire | |
| peach | /piːtʃ/ | pêche | |
| pasta | /ˈpɑːstə/ | pâtes | |
| noodle | /ˈnuːdəl/ | nouilles | |
| flour | /flaʊər/ | farine | |
| honey | /ˈhʌni/ | miel | |
| jam | /dʒæm/ | confiture | |
| sauce | /sɔːs/ | sauce | |
| vinegar | /ˈvɪnɪɡər/ | vinaigre | |
| spice | /spaɪs/ | épice | |
| yogurt | /ˈjoʊɡərt/ | yaourt | |
| cream | /kriːm/ | crème | |
| ice cream | /ˈaɪs kriːm/ | glace | |
| cookie | /ˈkʊki/ | biscuit | |
| breakfast | /ˈbrɛkfəst/ | petit-déjeuner | |
| lunch | /lʌntʃ/ | déjeuner | |
| dinner | /ˈdɪnər/ | dîner | |
| snack | /snæk/ | collation | |
| recipe | /ˈrɛsɪpi/ | recette | |
| diet | /ˈdaɪɪt/ | régime | |
| beef | /biːf/ | bœuf | |
| pork | /pɔːrk/ | porc | |
| lamb | /læm/ | agneau | |
| shrimp | /ʃrɪmp/ | crevette | |
| tofu | /ˈtoʊfuː/ | tofu | |
| mango | /ˈmæŋɡoʊ/ | mangue | |
| pineapple | /ˈpaɪnæpəl/ | ananas | |
| cherry | /ˈtʃɛri/ | cerise | |
| coconut | /ˈkoʊkənʌt/ | noix de coco | |
| melon | /ˈmɛlən/ | melon | |
| spinach | /ˈspɪnɪtʃ/ | épinard | |
| broccoli | /ˈbrɑːkəli/ | brocoli | |
| cabbage | /ˈkæbɪdʒ/ | chou | |
| peas | /piːz/ | petits pois | |
| beans | /biːnz/ | haricots | |
| wine | /waɪn/ | vin | |
| beer | /bɪr/ | bière | |
| soda | /ˈsoʊdə/ | soda | |
| cook | /kʊk/ | cuisiner | |
| bake | /beɪk/ | faire cuire | |
| fry | /fraɪ/ | frire | |
| boil | /bɔɪl/ | faire bouillir | |
| grill | /ɡrɪl/ | griller | |
| burger | /ˈbɜːrɡər/ | burger | |
| stew | /stuː/ | ragoût | |
| curry | /ˈkɜːri/ | curry | |
| sweet | /swiːt/ | sucré | |
| sour | /saʊər/ | aigre | |
| spicy | /ˈspaɪsi/ | épicé | |
| bitter | /ˈbɪtər/ | amer | |
| salty | /ˈsɔːlti/ | salé | |
| fresh | /frɛʃ/ | frais | |
| frozen | /ˈfroʊzən/ | congelé | |
| raw | /rɔː/ | cru | |
| ripe | /raɪp/ | mûr | |
| hunger | /ˈhʌŋɡər/ | faim | |
| thirst | /θɜːrst/ | soif | |
| taste | /teɪst/ | goût | |
| flavor | /ˈfleɪvər/ | saveur | |
| ingredient | /ɪnˈɡriːdiənt/ | ingrédient | |
| portion | /ˈpɔːrʃən/ | portion | |
| menu | /ˈmɛnjuː/ | menu | |
| restaurant | /ˈrɛstərɑːnt/ | restaurant | |
| kitchen | /ˈkɪtʃən/ | cuisine | |
| oven | /ˈʌvən/ | four | |
| plate | /pleɪt/ | assiette | |
| bowl | /boʊl/ | bol | |
| cup | /kʌp/ | tasse | |
| glass | /ɡlæs/ | verre | |
| fork | /fɔːrk/ | fourchette | |
| knife | /naɪf/ | couteau | |
| spoon | /spuːn/ | cuillère | |
| chopsticks | /ˈtʃɑːpstɪks/ | baguettes | |
| fridge | /frɪdʒ/ | réfrigérateur | |
| sushi | /ˈsuːʃi/ | sushi | |
| taco | /ˈtɑːkoʊ/ | taco | |
| noodle soup | /ˈnuːdəl suːp/ | soupe de nouilles | |
| dumpling | /ˈdʌmplɪŋ/ | ravioli | |
| popcorn | /ˈpɑːpkɔːrn/ | popcorn | |
| chips | /tʃɪps/ | chips | |
| avocado | /ˌævəˈkɑːdoʊ/ | avocat | |
| blueberry | /ˈbluːbɛri/ | myrtille | |
| kiwi | /ˈkiːwiː/ | kiwi | |
| eggplant | /ˈɛɡplænt/ | aubergine | |
| pumpkin | /ˈpʌmpkɪn/ | citrouille | |
| celery | /ˈsɛləri/ | céleri | |
| salmon | /ˈsæmən/ | saumon | |
| tuna | /ˈtuːnə/ | thon | |
| turkey | /ˈtɜːrki/ | dinde | |
| crab | /kræb/ | crabe | |
| smoothie | /ˈsmuːði/ | smoothie | |
| lemonade | /ˌlɛməˈneɪd/ | limonade | |
| hot chocolate | /ˌhɑːt ˈtʃɑːklɪt/ | chocolat chaud | |
| mustard | /ˈmʌstərd/ | moutarde | |
| ketchup | /ˈkɛtʃəp/ | ketchup | |
| cinnamon | /ˈsɪnəmən/ | cannelle | |
| vanilla | /vəˈnɪlə/ | vanille | |
| omelette | /ˈɑːmlɪt/ | omelette | |
| pancake | /ˈpænkeɪk/ | crêpe | |
| waffle | /ˈwɑːfəl/ | gaufre | |
| porridge | /ˈpɔːrɪdʒ/ | bouillie | |
| cereal | /ˈsɪriəl/ | céréales | |
| pot | /pɑːt/ | casserole | |
| pan | /pæn/ | poêle | |
| microwave | /ˈmaɪkrəweɪv/ | micro-ondes | |
| protein | /ˈproʊtiːn/ | protéine | |
| vitamin | /ˈvaɪtəmɪn/ | vitamine | |
| calorie | /ˈkæləri/ | calorie | |
| grocery | /ˈɡroʊsəri/ | épicerie | |
| supermarket | /ˈsuːpərˌmɑːrkɪt/ | supermarché |
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