4 syllables: La, Roche, fou, cauld. Stress on La.
LUH ROHSH foo kawld
/ˈlə ˈroʊʃ fuː kɔld/
La Rochefoucauld is pronounced LUH ROHSH foo kawld (/ˈlə ˈroʊʃ fuː kɔld/). It has four syllables (La-Roche-fou-cauld), with the stress on "La". La Rochefoucauld is a French noble surname, best known from the prominent 17th‑century writer François de La Rochefoucauld. It denotes a family name used in literary and historical contexts and is commonly encountered in discussions of maxims, philosophy, and French literature. Pronouncing it accurately requires handling French phonology and a multi-syllabic capitalization pattern.
nounLa Rochefoucauld is a French noble surname, best known from the prominent 17th‑century writer François de La Rochefoucauld. It denotes a family name used in literary and historical contexts and is commonly encountered in discussions of maxims, philosophy, and French literature. Pronouncing it accurately requires handling French phonology and a multi-syllabic capitalization pattern.
How to Pronounce La Rochefoucauld
"In his maxims, La Rochefoucauld offered concise observations about human nature."
"The lecture traced the influence of La Rochefoucauld on early modern French prose."
"We debated how La Rochefoucauld's wit shaped classical French literature."
In standard French-inspired pronunciation: l ʁo .fu.ko.ld. More natural English rendering places stress on the faul- syllable: l ro -fo .-koald. Pronounce as: la (là) rosh-foh-kohd, with a light final d. IPA variants: US: lə ʁɔʃ.fu.kod; UK: lə rɔʃ.fu.kɔld; AU: lə ɹɒʃ.fəˈkoːld. Listen for the French uvular R and the subtle French vowels in non-rhotic speech.
Common errors include anglicizing the initial 'La' as a flat 'la' with English R wags, misplacing stress across syllables, and dropping the final -d. Correct by adopting a soft French 'r' (uvular fricative) in ʁ, keeping the 'ou' as a rounded /u/ sound, and lightly pronouncing the final d or leaving it inaudible in quick speech. Practice the sequence la-ʁoʃ-fu-kod, ensuring the mid consonants stay crisp without over-exaggeration.
US speakers tend to reduce the French vowel qualities and may soften the R; the pronunciation becomes luh rosh-foh-kohld with a non-rolling R. UK speakers often preserve a stronger French flavor but may still de-emphasize final consonants. Australian tends to flatten some vowels and may stress different syllables. In all, the key phonetic features are the French uvular R, the 'ou' as /u/, and the final -cauld sound; IPA will reflect subtle rhotic and vowel shifts by region.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic French name with a strong uvular R and fronted, rounded vowels, plus the 'fou' cluster and the final 'cauld' which can be perceived as a 'kold' or 'koald' depending on accent. Learners must coordinate tongue positioning for /ʁ/ and /u/ while keeping the final consonant light. Slow practice with IPA guidance helps stabilize the sequence: la-ʁoʃ-fu-kold.
Pay attention to the 'fou' portion that uses the /fu/ sequence and the following /ko/ or /kɔ/ depending on the accent. The syllables often blur in rapid speech, so you should isolate them: la-ʁoʃ-fu-kod (US) or la-ʁɔʃ-fu-kɔld (UK/AU), with the final -d subtle. Your mouth stance should anticipate an abrupt but lightly articulated ending; the 'ʁ' should be pronounced clearly without throat tension.
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La Rochefoucauld is a French toponymic and noble surname derived from geographic and heraldic elements. 'La Roche' translates to 'the rock' or 'the cliff,' indicating a location or fortification hung on or near a rocky outcrop. 'Foucauld' (also spelled Foucaud, Foucald in older records) traces to a diminutive of a personal name signifying a person from a wooded clearing or a place associated with a beacon or lookout, possibly from Latin-French roots such as lucus (grove) and foucaud (beacon). The compound historically marks aristocratic lineage—families with lands on elevated sites often adopted such toponymics. The surname appears in records from medieval France and became prominent in the 16th–18th centuries, notably with François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld, a leading political figure and writer of maxims. The pronunciation in modern French preserves the final consonant, but English-language usage often softens or elides some consonant clusters in rapid speech, reflecting cross-language adaptation. First known use in written form appears in medieval charters and genealogical references, with standardized spellings stabilizing by the early modern period.
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Words that rhyme with "La Rochefoucauld"
-ale sounds
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