French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "en fait" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce en fait in French?

en fait is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɑ̃ fɛt/. It means “actually / in fact.” ahn FET — and unusually, the final "t" of "fait" IS pronounced in this fixed phrase.

ahn FET — and unusually, the final "t" of "fait" IS pronounced in this fixed phrase.

en fait /ɑ̃ fɛt/

The phrase peaks on FAIT, ending on a crisp "t" rather than fading. Two beats, said quickly, usually at the start of a clause.

Listen: en fait

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Sound it out

en The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/, open and through the nose, tongue flat.

fai An "f" plus an open "eh" /ɛ/ from the "ai" spelling.

t Pronounced here, which is the surprise. On its own "fait" ends in a silent "t" (/fɛ/), but in the fixed adverbial phrase "en fait" the consonant is sounded — a frozen relic that has stuck.

Hear it in a sentence

En fait, je ne peux pas venir.

Actually, I can't come.

Listen: En fait, je ne peux pas venir.

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"En fait, je ne peux pas venir" opens with the phrase set off by a comma, which is where it almost always sits. The negation wraps around "peux" and then "venir" follows as an infinitive. "Peux" is /pø/ with a silent "x", and "venir" keeps its final "r" as an -ir infinitive.

Where English speakers slip

Learners apply the general silent-consonant rule and say "ahn FEH", which sounds odd to a French ear — this particular phrase keeps its "t". They also nasalize incompletely or add an "n" consonant to "en". And a meaning note: "en fait" is closer to "actually" or "in fact" used to correct or clarify, not to the emphatic English "in fact" that adds weight to an argument.