81 beautiful French words and phrases you should learn

Young woman on her balcony learning beautiful French words

French is often said to be the language of love, likely due to the many beautiful words it contains. From their sound to their meaning, such words add poetry when you’re speaking in French. Even though several of them are among the most difficult words to pronounce in French, learning them is well worth the effort. To get you started, here is our list of ten of the most beautiful words in French.

What makes a French word beautiful?
Top 66 beautiful French words
15 beautiful French phrases and idioms

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What makes a French word beautiful?

Words, despite being abstract, are considered beautiful at times. In the case of French, many words are labeled as such. How come? A few factors prompt people to define a word as 'beautiful':

French melodic sounds make its pronunciation phonetically elegant. Soft consonants, open vowels, and liaisons add a musical quality to the language and make it rhythmically pleasant.
Cultural connotations mostly paint French as the language of romance as well as sophistication.
French words aren't that long, but they are rich in meaning.

Top 66 beautiful French words

Time to discover some of the most beautiful French terms out there!

Romantic words

French	English
l’amour	love
la rêverie	daydream
enchanté(e)	enchanted/delighted
la douceur	sweetness
le frisson	shiver
baiser	kiss
la caresse	caress
la flamme	flame
la joie	joy
la sérénité	serenity
le coeur	heart
adorer	o adore
l’harmonie	harmony
la tendresse	tenderness
ravissant(e)	delightful/charming

Nature-inspired words

French	English
le papillon	butterfly
l’étoile	star
la fleur	flower
la lune	moon
la forêt	forest
la rivière	river
la plage	beach
le soleil	sun
la rosée	dew
le ciel	sky
la brise	breeze
la cascade	waterfall
la neige	snow
l’oiseau	bird
la pluie	rain

Artistic and poetic words

French	English
la poésie	poetry
le reflet	reflection
la mélodie	melody
la palette	palette
la sculpture	sculpture
la nuance	shade/tone
l’émotion	emotion
l’ardeur	passion
l’ivresse	euphoria/intoxication
la muse	muse
l’éclat	sparkle

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Beautiful French everyday words

French	English
l’abeille	bee
l’amitié	friendship
l’apaisement	calm
la bise	kiss
la brindille	twig
la cachette	hiding place
chaleureux/euse	warm (personality)
chouchoter	to whisper
la confiance	trust
le dépaysement	positive feeling of disorientation when you are in a foreign place
la détente	relaxation
l’éclair	lightning
l’émerveillement	wonder/astonishment
l’étincelle	sparkle
le foyer	home
la frimousse	sweet kid’s face
la gourmandise	indulgence
la libellule	firefly
la matinée	morning
la merveille	marvel/wonder
le miel	honey
la panache	flamboyant confidence
le ruisseau	water stream
le tourbillon	windwhirl

15 beautiful French phrases and idioms

French	English
Coup de foudre	Love at first sight (lit. bolt of lightning)
Être dans la lune	To daydream (lit. to be in the moon)
Quand on aime, on ne compte pas	When you love something or someone, you don't worry about how much money you're spending
Avoir un cœur d’artichaut	To be overly sentimental (lit. to have an artichoke heart)
Jeter l’éponge	To give up (lit. to throw the sponge)
Rentrer dans sa coquille	To retreat into one’s shell
Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter	To have bigger fish to fry (lit. to have other cats to whip)
Ne pas être dans son assiette	To not feel well (lit. to not be in one’s own plate)
Mettre la puce à l’oreille	To plant a suspicion (lit. to put a flea in one’s ear)
C’est pas la mer à boire	It’s not a big deal (lit. it’s not the sea - you have - to drink)
Les carottes sont cuites	It’s too late (lit. the carrots are cooked)
Chercher midi à quatorze heures	To overcomplicate things (lit. to look for midday at 2pm)
Tomber dans les pommes	To faint (lit. to fall on the apples)
En faire tout un fromage	To make a big deal out of nothing (lit. to make cheese out of everything)
Mettre de l’eau dans son vin	To compromise (lit. to put water in one's wine)
Être dans de beaux draps	To in a difficult situation (lit. to be in some nice sheets)

Learn by heart some of the most beautiful French words and their meanings

We could go on and on, but our list is a good start to give you a taste of some of the most beautiful words and expressions in French. You can learn their different meanings and practice their pronunciation, as well as some of the expressions they can appear in. It’s the surest way to fall in love with the language!

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Anne-Lise Vassoille

Anne-Lise is a translator and copywriter working for various industries... Settled down in London, she cannot get enough of the exceptional cultural life in the English capital city, starting with theater, be it to see a new West End show or to roll up her sleeves with her amateur drama group. She is also interested in photography, as her Instagram profile shows. She indulges her passion for languages in a translation blog she writes with other linguist friends. Go to her Linkedin page to know more about her background and her professional experience.