One syllable: Bonne chance.
BAW-shahs
/ˈbɔ̃ ʃɑ̃s/
Bonne chance is pronounced BAW-shahs (/ˈbɔ̃ ʃɑ̃s/). It has one syllable (Bonne chance), with the stress on "Bonne chance". Bonne chance is a French noun meaning a wish of good luck; used similarly to “good luck” in English. It’s commonly used in everyday and formal contexts, often at the end of conversations or letters. The phrase blends two words, typically pronounced together with liaison, reflecting standard French pronunciation and intonation patterns.
nounBonne chance is a French noun meaning a wish of good luck; used similarly to “good luck” in English. It’s commonly used in everyday and formal contexts, often at the end of conversations or letters. The phrase blends two words, typically pronounced together with liaison, reflecting standard French pronunciation and intonation patterns.
"Bonne chance pour votre présentation demain."
"Je vous souhaite bonne chance pour l’examen."
"Ils se disent: Bonne chance, et à bientôt !"
Pronounce as /bɔn ʃɑ̃s/ in standard French. The first word “Bonne” is /bɔn/ with an open back rounded vowel and a nasal ending; the final 'e' is silent. “Chance” is /ʃɑ̃s/, starting with the palato-alveolar fricative /ʃ/ and the nasal vowel /ɑ̃/ before the final /s/. Stress naturally falls on the first syllable of each word in French. Link gently between the words; you’ll often hear a smooth, almost gliding connection. For reference, listen to native speakers in Pronounce or Forvo.
Common errors: 1) treating /ɔ/ as /o/ in /bɔn/—make sure the tongue sits low and back for /bɔn/. 2) mispronouncing the nasal /ɑ̃/ in /ʃɑ̃s/—keep the nasal resonance without closing the lips too much. 3) pronouncing the final /s/ too forcefully; in rapid speech it’s often a soft or barely audible /s/. Corrections: practice the nasal vowel by releasing air through the nose while keeping mouth open, and soften the /s/ unless linking to a following vowel sound.
In US/UK/AU French-adoption contexts, the core sounds stay similar, but nasal vowel quality and r-sound differ. Standard Parisian /ɔ̃/ and /ɑ̃/ nasal vowels are clearest in France; in North American contexts you may hear slightly more open /ɔ/ and a less articulate nasal. The /ʃ/ is consistent across accents, while the final /s/ may be more audible in careful speech in the UK and Australia. US speakers may lengthen vowels due to stress differences in English, but keep the nasal vowels intact when speaking French.
Difficulties center on nasal vowels and liaison. The /ɔ̃/ in /bɔn/ can be challenging, as English speakers often substitute with /ɔ/ or /o/. The /ɑ̃/ nasal in /ʃɑ̃s/ requires keeping air flowing through the nose while maintaining tongue position; misplacing the mouth can turn it into an oral /ɑ/ or /ã/. Finally, maintaining the two-word rhythm without an intrusive English intonation helps preserve authenticity.
In careful, formal French, the final /s/ of chance is usually silent; only when preceding a vowel-initial word or in careful speech might you hear a light /s/ liaison. So, say /bɔn ʃɑ̃/ in most contexts, and allow a very soft /s/ in careful linking situations. This nuance is essential for natural-sounding French.
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Bonne is the feminine form of bon, meaning ‘good’ in French, deriving from Latin bonus. Chance stems from Old French chaunce, from Latin casus meaning ‘fall, fate, luck.’ The modern phrase Bonne chance originated in French as a conventional well-wishing expression, combining a benign adjective with a noun denoting luck or fortune. Historically, bon/bonne appears in many Romance languages with related forms across centuries. The concept of bestowing luck via a conventional phrase developed in courtly and liturgical speech before becoming common in everyday speech. By the 18th and 19th centuries, bonne chance was firmly established in colloquial French as a standard, friendly send-off. The pronunciation evolved through standard Parisian French norms, with liaison and final consonant voicing patterns shaping the modern audibility of the phrase across dialects. First known written attestations align with early modern French usage, with the phrase appearing in literature and everyday correspondence as a conventional valediction.
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Words that rhyme with "Bonne chance"
-nce sounds
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