Bon Appetit is a French phrase used in English to signal enjoyment of a meal; in English it’s treated as a noun phrase meaning a meal enjoyed or served. It’s commonly heard in dining contexts or on menus and at the end of a course, sometimes used euphemistically. The pronunciation in English-speaking contexts often compresses the phrase into a single utterance.
"We gathered around the table; bon appétit!"
"The chef murmured bon appétit as the dishes arrived."
"During the tasting, she whispered bon appétit before tasting each course."
"The waitstaff announced bon appétit to welcome the guests to the meal."
Bon appétit comes from the French phrase bon appétit, literally meaning ‘good appetite.’ The first element bon is from Latin bonus ‘good,’ through Old French bon. Appétit is from the French appetite, itself from the Latin appetitus ‘desire, appetite,’ derived from appetere ‘to attack, strive for.’ The phrase appears in French cuisine and dining culture to wish someone a good meal. English adoption preserved the accent marks in some spellings (bon appétit), though in casual English usage the diacritics are often omitted (bon appetit). The phrase entered common dining usage in the 19th and 20th centuries, popularized by French-influenced dining and media portrayals. In modern usage, it’s treated as a cultural phrase rather than a literal directive, used to cue a moment of shared enjoyment prior to eating. The pronunciation in English frequently reduces the final syllable and merges the vowels for ease of utterance, making it sound like “bawn-ah-pay-tee.” The first known English attestations appear in cookbooks and dining guides as French culinary vocabulary borrowed during the haute cuisine era, with the phrase retained to convey a sense of formality and European dining etiquette.
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Words that rhyme with "Bon Appetit"
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Typically spoken as two words with a light French liaison: /bɔ̃ apɛti/ in careful speech, often simplified in English to /bɑ̃ːn ˌæp.ɪˈtiː/ or /bɒnˌæpɪˈteɪ/ depending on region. Stress falls on the last syllable of the phrase in natural English usage (bon apPÉtit). Mouth positions: start with a rounded, nasal /ɔ̃/ like the French nasal vowel, then /a/ in “app-” and /ɛ/ in “et/ti,” finishing with /i/ in “ti.” In casual speech many speakers reduce the final vowels and fuse the phrase into one smooth utterance. IPA references emphasize the liaison between /n/ and /a/ and the final glide into /ti/.
Common mistakes include anglicizing the nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ to an open /ɔ/ as in ‘cot,’ and misplacing the stress by emphasizing the first word (BON ap-pe-TEET). Another frequent error is pronouncing the final /ti/ as a long /tiː/ rather than a crisp short /ti/; also some speakers omit the French nasal in /ɔ̃/ or flatten the vowel to /ɑ/. Corrective tips: aim for a French-inspired nasal /ɔ̃/ with a soft lip rounding, place primary stress on the final syllable -ti, and end with a clean, short /ti/ without an extra vowel sound.
In US English, you’ll often hear /bɒn æpɪˈteɪ/ or /bɔːn æpˈeɪti/ with a less pronounced nasal and a stronger final diphthong in -teɪ. UK speakers may keep a crisper /ɔ̃/ and a more clipped /tɪ/ at the end, while Australian speakers tend toward a flatter, less nasal first vowel and a more rounded /eɪ/ in the last syllable. All variants preserve three syllables roughly, but vowel quality and nasalization shift with rhoticity and vowel merging differences.
The difficulty lies in the French nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in bon, the two-syllable break with accurate liaison into app, and maintaining a crisp final /ti/ while not prolonging the vowel. English speakers often gloss over the nasal, misplace stress, or glide into a long /tiː/ at the end. Mastery requires attention to mouth position: rounded lips for /ɔ̃/, a light nasal production, and a quick, short /ti/ that lands firmly without an extra vowel.
The most distinctive feature is the nasal vowel in bon and the subtle linking into app due to the French phrase structure. Speakers often naturalize the phrase by merging /n/ with /a/ and by smoothing the transition from /ap/ to /ɛ/ in ti. This makes the phrase feel fluid, not a sequence of separate words. Paying attention to the nasal and the subtle French rhythm helps you sound authentic and reduces hesitation in natural speech.
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