2 syllables: Du, Jour. Stress on Du.
DOO ZHAWR
/ˈduː ˈʒɔːɹ/
Du Jour is pronounced DOO ZHAWR (/ˈduː ˈʒɔːɹ/). It has two syllables (Du- Jour), with the stress on "Du". Du Jour is a French loan phrase used adjectivally to mean ‘fashionable or current for this day,’ often alongside fashion or cuisine. In English it tends to describe items or trends that are new or in vogue for a specific period, typically the day’s or season’s latest. The term retains its French pronunciation and is used in a somewhat elevated, stylish register.
adjectiveDu Jour is a French loan phrase used adjectivally to mean ‘fashionable or current for this day,’ often alongside fashion or cuisine. In English it tends to describe items or trends that are new or in vogue for a specific period, typically the day’s or season’s latest. The term retains its French pronunciation and is used in a somewhat elevated, stylish register.
How to Pronounce Du Jour
"The boutique is offering a du jour sweater that just hit the shelves."
"They served a risotto du jour featuring seasonal mushrooms."
"The magazine highlighted the du jour trend in sustainable fabrics."
Pronounce it as /du ˈʒʊər/ in many English contexts. The first syllable is /du/ like 'dew' but with a tighter vowel; the second is stressed: /ʒʊər/ as in the French 'jour' with a 'zh' sound followed by a light 'er'-like ending. Place your tongue near the palate to voice the /ʒ/ softly, keep the /u/ high and rounded, and end with a brief /r/ if your dialect allows a rhotic ending. Listen for the subtle glide between /d/ and /u/ and keep the emphasis on the second syllable. You can compare with audio examples from reputable pronunciation resources for accuracy.
Common errors include treating /ʒ/ as /ʃ/ (sh) and misplacing the syllable stress. Some speakers also turn /ʒʊər/ into /ʒoʊr/ or /ʒɜː/ by flattening the vowel, and others drop the French liaison feel, articulating as two clearly separated syllables with an English /djuː/ instead of /du/. Correction: practice the /ʒ/ as a voiced postalveolar fricative, keep the /u/ high, and round the lips for /ʊə/; place primary stress on the second syllable, and avoid over-enunciating the final /r/ unless your dialect is rhotic.
In US English you’ll often hear /du ˈʒʊər/ with a rhotic trailing /r/ and a bright /ʊə/ diphthong. UK speakers may drop the rhotic ending in non-rhotic accents, producing /du ˈʒɔː/ or /du ˈdʒɔː/ with a longer, rounded vowel and less pronounced /r/. Australian pronunciation tends toward /du ˈʒɔː/ or /du ˈʒɔːr/, with a more centralized /ɔ:/ and a softer /ʒ/ in some regional varieties. In all cases, keep the /ʒ/ sound clear and the second syllable stressed, but adapt rhoticity per locale.
The difficulty comes from the French-origin /ʒ/ sound, which is unfamiliar to many English speakers, and the French vowel sequence /ʊə/ that isn’t common in all dialects. The final /r/ in rhotic dialects can blur with the preceding vowel, and non-rhotic speakers may omit the /r/, changing the perceived vowel length. Mastery requires training the tongue tip to approximate the postalveolar fricative, maintaining lip rounding for /u/ and effectively linking the syllables without a hard break.
No letters are silent in the standard pronunciation. The French-derived díalectal nuance is heard in the /ʒ/ sound and the rounded /u/ vowel; there’s no silent consonant. The only potential variation is whether the final /r/ is pronounced in your dialect—many American and some UK speakers pronounce a rhotic ending; non-rhotic speakers may sound like /du ˈʒɔː/ with the final /r/ silent. Listen to native speakers for subtle phrasal timing and liaison cues.
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Du jour is a French phrase literally meaning ‘of the day.’ It originated in French culinary and fashion contexts to label dishes, fashions, or items that are current for that particular day. In English, the phrase began to appear in borrowed form in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in high-end journalism and design writing, to signal exclusivity or freshness. The pronunciation reflects typical French loanword adaptation in English, with the first element du pronounced as two phonemes /dy/ (close to “dew” with a y-glide) and jour pronounced as /ʒʊər/ or /ʒuːr/, depending on the speaker. Over time, English adoption maintains the sense of immediacy and novelty, while the expression is frequently italicized or set in quotation marks in formal writing. First known uses in English appear in fashion and culinary journalism in Paris-influenced haute culture exchanges, with subsequent spread across Western media as a chic descriptor for the day’s offerings.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Du Jour" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Du Jour"
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