2 syllables: Ca, chet. Stress on Ca.
KASH-ay
/ˈkæʃeɪ/
Cachet is pronounced KASH-ay (/ˈkæʃeɪ/). It has two syllables (Ca-chet), with the stress on "Ca". Cachet is a noun meaning prestige or a distinguished status that a person or product has earned, often implying exclusivity. It denotes a quality or quality-mark that signals high social standing or refined taste, sometimes tied to branding or reputation. In use, it can describe the aura of celebrity, luxury, or superior social capital surrounding something.
nounCachet is a noun meaning prestige or a distinguished status that a person or product has earned, often implying exclusivity. It denotes a quality or quality-mark that signals high social standing or refined taste, sometimes tied to branding or reputation. In use, it can describe the aura of celebrity, luxury, or superior social capital surrounding something.
"The boutique launched its new line with extra cachet to attract discerning customers."
"Her French upbringing gave her a certain cachet in the culinary world."
"The museum's exhibit gained cachet after winning the international prize."
Pronounced /kæˈʃeɪ/. The emphasis is on the second syllable, with a long 'a' sound in the final syllable. Start with /kæ/ (as in cat), glide into /ʃeɪ/ (as in shy with a long a). Mouth position: a quick alveolar stop before a postalveolar fricative cluster, ending with a long diphthong. For audio reference, listen to clean pronunciations on Pronounce or Forvo and mimic the flow from /k/ to /æ/ to /ʃeɪ/ in one smooth movement.
Common errors include treating it as two syllables with a hard final 't' (ca-shet) and misplacing the stress or mispronouncing the final diphthong as /eɪ/ in isolation. Correct it by reinforcing /kæ/ at the start, ensuring the /ʃ/ follows immediately, and producing the final /eɪ/ as a single, smooth diphthong without breaking into two separate vowels. Practice the transition from /ʃ/ to /eɪ/ with a quick, relaxed jaw.
In US/UK/AU, cachet is typically /kæˈʃeɪ/. The main variation lies in rhoticity and vowel quality: US tends to have a slightly more pronounced rhotic influence in connected speech, but cachet itself is non-rhotic in most careful speech; UK and AU acute pronunciation maintains /æ/ in first syllable and a clear /eɪ/ diphthong in the second. Australians may have a clipped, faster tempo with less vowel length. Overall, the nucleus /æ/ and the /eɪ/ glide remain stable across accents.
The difficulty stems from the final diphthong /eɪ/ and the cluster /ʃ/ preceding it. Many speakers overemphasize the ending or insert a hard 't' or break the diphthong into two vocalic segments. The key is a smooth transition: /kæ/ to /ʃeɪ/, keeping the tongue high for the /eɪ/ glide and finishing with a light, almost silent release of the final consonant in careful speech. IPA focus helps train the precise mouth shape.
A unique feature is the combination of a strong alveolar /k/ onset followed by a postalveolar /ʃ/ before a rounded, high-front diphthong /eɪ/. It’s not pronounced as ‘cache’ (which would imply /kæʃ/ or /kæʃe/). The correct flow emphasizes a two-part nucleus: /kæ/ then /ʃeɪ/, with the /t/ being silent in fluent speech and sometimes lightly released in careful diction; focus on the /ʃ/ and /eɪ/ transition.
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Cachet comes from the French word cachet, meaning seal or stamp, which historically signified authenticity or quality. The French term derives from late Latin captatus, from capere ‘to seize, take,’ implying something that is stamped or sealed as a mark of genuineness. In English, cachet moved from a literal seal to a figurative badge of honor—an intangible mark of prestige associated with people, brands, and institutions. The first known English uses emerged in the 18th–19th centuries, often in social or fashion contexts, signaling exclusivity. Over time, cachet has broadened to denote not only luxury but also a certain urbane legitimacy—“the cachet of X” has become a standard collocation in fashion, culture, and branding discourse. While some use it interchangeably with prestige, cachet carries a nuance of authenticity and selectivity, sometimes implying that something is fashionable precisely because it is not ubiquitous or overtly ostentatious.
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Words that rhyme with "Cachet"
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