2 syllables: Ron, deau. Stress on deau.
rahn-DOH
/ɹɑˈndoʊ/
Rondeau is pronounced rahn-DOH (/ɹɑˈndoʊ/). It has two syllables (Ron-deau), with the stress on "deau". Rondeau is a French-origin noun for a short lyric poem of complex refrains, often set to music; in English usage, it also refers to such a poem form or to a poem with a fixed structure. The term is used mainly in literary and musicology contexts and preserves a French pronunciation, though anglicized forms occur in scholarly writing.
nounRondeau is a French-origin noun for a short lyric poem of complex refrains, often set to music; in English usage, it also refers to such a poem form or to a poem with a fixed structure. The term is used mainly in literary and musicology contexts and preserves a French pronunciation, though anglicized forms occur in scholarly writing.
How to Pronounce Rondeau
"The poet read a rondeau that echoed refrains in the chorus."
"Scholars discussed the rondeau’s fixed form and its melodic refrains."
"Her introduction to medieval poetry included an analysis of the rondeau."
Pronounce as ron-DOH, with secondary stress on the second syllable. In US/UK anglicized forms, /ˌrɒnˈdoʊ/ or /ˌrɒ̃ˈdoʊ/ is common. Start with /r/ followed by /ɒ/ (as in 'lot') and a light 'n' before the stressed syllable /ˈdoʊ/ (like 'doe'). The final 'au' often sounds like /oʊ/ in English, though some readings retain a closer French /o/ before a silent e. Reference audio: Pronounce resource links or dictionaries with US/UK variants for listening practice.
Common errors: misplacing stress on the first syllable (ron-), or flattening the second syllable into a short ‘doh’ without the clear /oʊ/ diphthong. Another pitfall is treating the final -eau as silent entirely; in English contexts you’ll often hear a full /oʊ/ or /o/ quality. Correction: stress the second syllable, ensure the /oʊ/ vowel in /ˈdoʊ/ is a clear diphthong, and glide from /n/ to /d/ smoothly without breaking the syllable boundary.
US: /ˌrɒnˈdoʊ/ with non-rhotic tendencies minimal; UK: /ˌrɒnˈdəʊ/ may show a slightly more reduced /dəʊ/ and some rhotic variation; AU: /ˌɹɒnˈdəʊ/ often displays Australian vowel shifts with a broader /ɒ/ and clear /oʊ/ from -eau; all share stress on the second syllable but the vowel quality in /ɒ/ and /oʊ/ can shift by region, and the final syllable may be pronounced with a lighter 'd' or a softer 't' in very careful readings.
The tricky part is balancing the French-origin diphthong in -eau with English stress patterns. You want the /oʊ/ in /ˈdoʊ/ to be full and not clipped, while the preceding /n/ should connect smoothly to /d/ without an audible break. Also, the initial /r/ in English is often slightly tapped or approximant; maintain a clean postalveolar articulation, and avoid turning the 'ron' into a lax, near-schwa syllable. Focus on the secondary stress and the cadence of the phrase.
It remains two primary beats: ron- and ...dau. The second syllable carries primary stress, so in fast speech you should still clearly cue /ˈdoʊ/. Practically, practice saying ‘ron-DOE’ in a single breath, then attach a light, quick /n/ between them. In connected speech, keep the /n/ light and avoid inserting extra vowels. The key is preserving the diphthong integrity in -eau while maintaining even rhythm with the preceding syllable.
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Rondeau comes from Old French rondeau, diminutive of ronde ‘round, circle; a refrain,’ from rond- ‘round, circle’ (from Latin rotundus) with the suffix -eau. In medieval French verse, rondeaus were lyric forms featuring a repeated refrain after stanzas. The form emerged in the 12th–13th centuries within trouvère and medieval courtly poetry, sometimes linked to paired musical refrains and dancing rounds. In English scholarship, the term was borrowed in the 15th–16th centuries, retaining its French accent but Anglicized spelling and pronunciation over time. The modern literary term typically denotes a short poem (often 6-8 lines) with a refrain, and in musicology, it can describe a musical rondeau with fixed repetition patterns. First known use in English texts appears in medieval or early modern anthologies, but precise earliest attestations vary by manuscript. Over centuries, the pronunciation shifted from a closer French sequence to broader English approximations, while scholarly usage continues to preserve the core French vowel qualities in academic contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "Rondeau"
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