2 syllables: En, tree. Stress on En.
AHN-tray
/ˈɑnˌtɹeɪ/
Entree is pronounced AHN-tray (/ˈɑnˌtɹeɪ/). It has two syllables (En-tree), with the stress on "En". As a noun, entrée is a noun borrowed from French meaning the main course of a meal. In American usage, it refers to the dish that comes after the hors d'oeuvre and before dessert; in some contexts it also designates the dish itself as the main course. The term can be used more broadly to indicate entry or introduction in certain contexts, though that sense is less common in everyday dining language.
nounEntrée is a noun borrowed from French meaning the main course of a meal. In American usage, it refers to the dish that comes after the hors d'oeuvre and before dessert; in some contexts it also designates the dish itself as the main course. The term can be used more broadly to indicate entry or introduction in certain contexts, though that sense is less common in everyday dining language.
"For our dinner party, the entrée was a roast beef with a red wine reduction."
"In French menus, the entrée is typically listed after the soup or salad."
"He chose a vegetarian entrée that featured roasted vegetables and a quinoa cake."
Pronounce as /ˈɒnˌtreɪ/ in US and /ˈɒn.treɪ/ in UK, with stress on the first syllable in most dialects. Start with an open back unrounded vowel similar to 'on' in 'on,' then glide into the 'tray' portion. Focus on clear t-r-eɪ sequence; avoid a silent 't' and keep the /r/ light or rhotic depending on accent. Listen for a clean French loan pronunciation: ‘ahn-tray.’
Common mistakes: pronouncing it as ‘en-tree’ with a long 'ee' sound instead of the /eɪ/ in the second syllable; omitting the 't' sound or making the 't' too soft; misplacing stress as second syllable. Correction: make the second syllable rhyme with ‘tray’ /treɪ/ and keep a crisp /t/ at the boundary, with the first syllable /ˈɒn/ (or /ˈɑːn/ in some dialects).
In US, you’ll often hear /ˈɑːnˌtreɪ/ with a strong /ˈɑːn/ and a clear /treɪ/. UK tends toward /ˈɒnˌtreɪ/ with shorter /ɒ/ and a crisper /t/; rhoticity is variable in some speakers. Australian English generally features /ˈɒnˌtreɪ/ with a broader vowel in /ɒ/ and a more relaxed /r/ influence, though many speakers are non-rhotic. The second syllable consistently rhymes with 'tray'.
Two challenges: the vowel in the first syllable often differs from the everyday 'on' and may be reduced in connected speech; the second syllable uses /eɪ/ as in 'tray,' which can be mispronounced as 'ee' or 'air.' Another difficulty is the French loan spacing and possible silent-like effects; keep the /t/ audible and prevent the 'ee' sound from creeping in. Practice the /treɪ/ cluster cleanly.
Yes, the typical stress is on the first syllable: EN-tree, with secondary emphasis on the second as needed in sentence flow. However, in careful dining-room narration or menu writing, you may hear more even emphasis to mimic the French cadence, but natural speech keeps primary stress on the first syllable.
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Entree comes from the French entrée, meaning ‘entrance, entry, or the main course of a meal.’ The French word derives from Old French entre, from Latin intrare, ‘to enter,’ combined with the suffix -ée to form a noun meaning ‘an entering or admission.’ In English, the term was adopted in the 17th-18th centuries in dining contexts, where it came to denote the dish served after the hors d’oeuvre. Over time, American usage shifted, especially in the 20th century, to define the principal course as the centerpiece of a meal, while in many other English-speaking regions, entrée retains the broader sense of “the main dish” and is often used interchangeably with “main course.” First known use in English dining contexts appears in culinary writings of the 18th century, with recipes and menus adopting the term as a formal course label, reflecting French culinary influence on Western dining traditions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Entree" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Entree"
-ree sounds
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