How to pronounce “rendezvous”
Rendezvous is pronounced /ˈrɑːndɪˌvuː/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — rɑːn. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 3 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting rɑːn in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooō — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “rendezvous”
✗ Often said: /ˈrendezvaʊs/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈrɑːndɪˌvuː/
Why the two come apart: at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here; also, a consonant letter takes an unexpected sound value here, so reading it "as written" comes out wrong.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “rendezvous” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“rendezvous” sound by sound
“rendezvous” is built out of 7 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
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rCurl the tongue tip back (or bunch the tongue body up) without touching anything, round the lips slightly, and voice — the tongue must never tap the roof of the mouth.
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ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" vowel.
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nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
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dSame tongue position as /t/ — tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth — but voice the sound and release it without aspiration.
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ɪRelax the tongue slightly lower and further back than for /iː/, keep the lips neutral, and make it short and lax.
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vUpper teeth on the lower lip, push air through the gap, and add voicing so the lip buzzes.
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uːPush the tongue high and back and round the lips into a tight, forward circle; hold it tense and long.
Questions people ask about “rendezvous”
- How do you pronounce “rendezvous”?
- “rendezvous” is pronounced /ˈrɑːndɪˌvuː/, with the stress on the first syllable (rɑːn). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “rendezvous”?
- “rendezvous” has 3 syllables: rɑːn · dɪ · vuː. The stress pattern is Ooō.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “rendezvous”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈrendezvaʊs/, but it is actually /ˈrɑːndɪˌvuː/, because at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here.
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