English pronunciation · Words Starting with M
Madame Pronunciation
Madame is pronounced MA-duhm, IPA /ˈmædəm/.
MA-duhm
US /ˈmædəm/ · UK /ˈmædəm/
Syllables: MA · duhm (2 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: A polite French title for a woman, used in English before a surname or on its own as a formal address.
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Two Ways to Say Madame
The pronunciation changes with the meaning or the part of speech. The form above is the most common; the others are:
- French style, before a surname: /məˈdæm/ (muh-DAM)
Madame in a Sentence
- Madame Curie won prizes in two different sciences.
- Good evening, madame, your table is ready.
- She was known in the village simply as madame.
Common Mispronunciations of Madame
Not muh-DAHM
In its everyday English form the word sits close to madam, with the beat at the front and a weak second syllable. The final e adds nothing you can hear.
Not MA-daym
No long ay lives in the second syllable. It reduces to duhm in the English reading and to dam in the French flavoured one.
Tip: Before a name most speakers reach for the French shaped muh-DAM. Standing alone it usually flattens to MA-duhm.
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