How to Pronounce “façade”

American (US)

/fəˈsɑːd/

British (UK)

/fəˈsɑːd/

noun — The front of a building, or an outward appearance that conceals the reality.

Example: Behind the cheerful façade he was exhausted.

Synonyms: frontage, pretence

The final e is silent. The transcription /fəˈsɑːd/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “façade” is not pronounced.

A loanword from French. The cedilla in “façade” is what makes the c an /s/; without it, a c before a would be a hard /k/. The word is said “fuh-SAHD”.

Where the stress falls. “façade” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /fəˈsɑːd/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /fəˈsɑːd/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "façade" mean?

façade (noun): The front of a building, or an outward appearance that conceals the reality. For example — Behind the cheerful façade he was exhausted.

How do you pronounce "façade" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "façade", /fəˈsɑːd/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "façade"?

/fəˈsɑːd/ in American English, /fəˈsɑːd/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "façade"?

“façade” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /fəˈsɑːd/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.