French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "au revoir" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce au revoir in French?

au revoir is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /o ʁə.vwaʁ/. It means “goodbye.” oh ruh-VWAHR — three beats, with two throat-made "r" sounds and a "vw" cluster in the middle.

oh ruh-VWAHR — three beats, with two throat-made "r" sounds and a "vw" cluster in the middle.

au revoir /o ʁə.vwaʁ/

The phrase builds to its final syllable, -VOIR. The "au" and the "re" are both light and quick; do not give "au" the ceremonial weight English speakers tend to load onto it.

Listen: au revoir

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Sound it out

au This spelling always makes a closed "oh". Keep it flat and pure — no glide toward "oo" at the end, which is what English does in "go".

re A uvular "r" plus a weak schwa. In everyday speech this whole syllable often collapses, so "au revoir" can come out as a two-beat "o-VWAR".

voi The "oi" spelling is always pronounced "wa". Combined with the "v", you get "vwa" — a real consonant cluster that takes practice, since English never puts "w" after "v".

r Final "r" is one of the consonants French does pronounce at the end of a word. Made at the back of the throat, and it should not bend the "ah" before it.

Hear it in a sentence

Au revoir et bonne soirée !

Goodbye and have a nice evening!

Listen: Au revoir et bonne soirée !

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"Au revoir et bonne soirée !" strings two set phrases together with "et", which is always /e/ with a silent "t" — and, unusually, "et" never makes a liaison, so there is no "t" sound linking into "bonne". Compare "soirée" with "soir": the added "-ée" makes it feminine and adds a full "ay" syllable, swa-RAY.

Where English speakers slip

The famous mispronunciation is "oh-ruh-VWAH" with the final "r" dropped, or worse, "oh-ruh-DWAH". The "v" is a real "v" and the final "r" must be there, made in the throat. English speakers also tend to split "voir" into "vo-ir", two syllables, when "oi" is a single fused "wa" — the whole thing is one beat.