How to pronounce Bon Voyage. Bon voyage is a French-origin noun used in English to wish someone a good journey. Literally translating to “good travel,” it is commonly used as a farewell. The phrase is typically treated as a fixed expression, often set in the context of travel or departure, and is pronounced with a light nasal French intonation even when spoken in English contexts.
nounBon voyage is a French-origin noun used in English to wish someone a good journey. Literally translating to “good travel,” it is commonly used as a farewell. The phrase is typically treated as a fixed expression, often set in the context of travel or departure, and is pronounced with a light nasal French intonation even when spoken in English contexts.
How to Pronounce Bon Voyage
"We’ll miss you at the reunion—bon voyage!"
"She waved from the dock, shouting, ‘Bon voyage!’ as the ship disappeared."
"Before their flight, the family gathered for a quick toast: bon voyage all around."
Pronounce as two words: Bon = /bɒ̃/ (or /bɔ̃/ in American/UK) with a light nasalization; Voyage = /vɔɪˈɑːʒ/ (US) or /vɔɪˈaʒ/ (UK). The stress is on the second word: bon voYAGE. In many English contexts, the final 'ge' is pronounced as /ʒ/ like measure; the entire phrase flows as /bɔ̃ vɔɪˈɑːʒ/ with a soft nasal on bon. Try to soften the nasal without fully nasalizing. Audio references: listen to native pronunciations on Forvo and YouGlish to hear subtle vowel shifts in different speakers.
Common errors include misplacing stress (treating it as a single word with even stress), mispronouncing voyage as /voʊˈdʒɪv/ or /ˈvɔɪdʒ/ (missing the final /ʒ/), and neglecting the nasal quality of bon. Correct these by stressing the second word, rendering bon with a light nasalization (/bɒ̃/ or /bɔ̃/), and ending voyage with a clear /ʒ/ sound. Practice the phrase slowly, then gradually speed up while maintaining the sounds of /b/ + /ɔ̃/ + /v/ + /ɔɪ/ + /ˈɑːʒ/.
In US English, voyage tends to the /vɔɪˈɑːʒ/; bon often has a nasalized vowel, and final /ʒ/ is audible. UK English can render bon as /bõ/ with stronger nasalization and voyage as /ˈvɔɪɪdʒ/ or /vɔɪˈɑːʒ/ with less emphasis on rhotics. Australian pronunciation is similar to UK but with a more clipped first syllable and slightly more forgiving diphthongs in voyage. IPA references: US /bɔ̃ voɪˈɑːʒ/, UK /bɔ̃ voɪˈaʒ/, AU /bɔːn ˈvɔɪɑːʒ/.
The challenge lies in the French nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ in bon and the final /ʒ/ in voyage, which is not common in English phonotactics. Pronouncing bon with correct lip rounding and nasalization while keeping voyage's /v/ onset and subsequent /ɔɪ/ diphthong can be tricky, especially in rapid speech. The two-word phrase also requires smooth linking and avoiding awkward pauses between bon and voyage.
A unique tip is to glide from the nasalized vowel in bon directly into the diphthong in voyage without a hard stop: think b oxygen-like /bɔ̃/ immediately followed by /vɔɪ/. Keep your tongue close to the palate for the /ʒ/ at the end, and avoid turning the /ɔɪ/ into a pure /ɔ/ or /oʊ/ sound. This helps maintain the French nuance while staying natural in English.
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Bon voyage is a loan phrase from French, formed by the adjective bon (good) and the noun voyage (journey or voyage). In French, this exact expression is used to wish someone well on a journey, and it translates literally to good voyage. English speakers adopted the phrase in the 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily in travel-oriented discourse and social introductions, often retaining the accent from French. The phrase overlays a broader cultural tradition of French expressions used in English as markers of sophistication or formal farewell. In written and spoken English, the accent is often lightly preserved, though in casual contexts it may be pronounced closer to /bɒ̃ vɔːjɪdʒ/ or simplified as /bɒn voʊˈjæʃ/ depending on speaker dialect, but typically English speakers render it as two words with minimal nasalization on the first vowel. First attested uses in English appear in travel writing and etiquette books from the late 1800s to early 1900s, reflecting the period's fascination with French language and Parisian chic in social customs. The phrase became a conventional farewell in international contexts and remains widely recognized in modern English, especially in travel media and formal goodbyes.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Bon Voyage" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Bon Voyage"
-age sounds
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