How do you pronounce 'croissant'?

[ClaudiaWankleman]

It's probably the only word that I can feel myself thinking about pronunciation as I begin the sentence. There are so many different pronunciations.

1. The French way - my preferred way as I do speak French quite well. Nonetheless, I doubt myself, especially if I'm in the company of people I don't know very well. Will I sound pretentious or silly?
2. Cwoss-ont
3. Cwass-ont
4. Cross-ont
5. Crass-ont
6. Cwazz-ont
7. Cwozz-ont
8. Any of (2)-(8) with an 'ant' sound at the end instead of 'ont'.
9. Another pronunciation

And yes, before anyone says it, I could've used IPA to write these pronunciations. But I haven't, because I don't want to and I'll enjoy any misunderstandings which arise in the comments.

crhu-so(n) perhaps

9 - Cwasson.

Yeah, I'm sure it makes me sound a dick but there you go.

”I will have one of them posh foreign cobs, please mi duck.”

People who say Eebitza and choritzo make me cross, also.

Trying to pronounce paella correctly makes me feel self-conscious.

This made me laugh probably more than it should have.

3 but without the t on the end

Kwoi son

And bagels I pronounce biegels (to rhyme with eye)

7 without the T.

Number 4!

It's a French word, so it gets said in my atrocious French accent. Same way a Tarte aux Fruits is, rather than saying Tart ox Frootz (or 'one of them froot tart things').

I don't give a shit if anybody thinks I'm trying to impress anybody. It's a French word for a French thing - it's not exactly a positive thing that the British/English have been happily chowing down on culture and foods from other countries without even the slightest effort at recognising where they have come from or were stolen from by using the correct pronunciation.

But Tarte aux Fruits would be Tart O Fwee

I say Cwassan (don't pronounce the t)

3 - almost. I'm not sure I really pronounce the t, though also don't end t with a hard n.

So cwass-on(t) - a very soft, barely there t to end

Thanks OP, now sat in my house shouting enthusiastically in a bad french accent like I'm a cast member of 'allo 'allo

CWAS-ON!!!

🤣

I think I kind of say "kwa-song" but with a sort of really soft "ng" so it's to the back of the throat.
I've never thought of how it looks written down until now!

Just said it out loud- it's actually more of a "qua" as in "quack" than a "kwa" when I say it!

Kwa son

Kwas-on (but not pronouncing the N).

My kids say 'cross-ont' to annoy me even though their French is good.

Genuinely surprised by the number of native English speakers not pronouncing the r in croissant.

I'm surprised you're surprised by that! I've never heard a person from the UK say anything other than a variation of kwa-son. Pronouncing the R is something I've only heard recently, and exclusively from Americans.

None of those. I’m bilingual (tri, but I don’t want to get into that) A student told me I’d be annoyed at his pronunciation and told me he says ‘cru assant’ but he dropped French years ago and isn’t English, so I forgive him. 🥐🤣 I was making croissants with Year 7 today, all 180 of them, 30+ at a time.

Why don't they say the r ? My upbringing is London, Paris, Scotland and I feel like everyone I speak to would say the r (albeit in a different way of course in function of their accents) but maybe I just automatically 'hear' it because it should be there. So I've been surprised by all the quacking on this thread!

It does sound really silly to pronounce foreign words "properly" when speaking English. The best thing is to approximate the correct pronunciation but anglicise it so that it doesn't stand out in the sentence.

Don't forget, most European languages have countless English loanwords and they don't put on a ridiculous cockney or RP British accent to say those words! So why do we feel the need to in English?!

There are plenty of people for whom it doesn't sound silly if someone pronounces croissaint like a French person even if they are not francophone or in France. And as we have discovered from this thread there is no 'correct' anglophone way to pronounce the word anyway!

Cross Ant.