What's a homophone?
Two words in the same language that sound alike but have different meanings.
English: sea ↔ see
What's a Transphone?
A word or phrase in one language that sounds like something different in another language.
French: chaud (hot) ↔ English show
Transphone words
Familiar sounds, different meanings. Explore these cross-language sound-alikes.
| English meaning | French word | Sounds like in English |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | chaud | show |
| Foam | mousse | moose |
| Seal | phoque | fok (roughly “fuck”) |
| Rooster | coq | cock |
| Shower | douche | doosh |
| Pushed | poussé | poo-SAY |
| Gentle / soft | doux | doo |
Transphone phrases
Put the sounds together, and things get a little more unexpected.
| English meaning | French phrase | Sounds like in English |
|---|---|---|
| 1The shower pushed me! | La douche m’a poussé | lah doosh mah poo-SAY |
| 2The seal pushed me! | Le phoque m’a poussé ! | luh fok mah poo-SAY |
| 3Pushed me superb! | m’a poussé superb ! | mah poo-SAY soo-PEHRB |
| 4The dick pushed me! | La Bite m’a poussé ! | lah beet mah poo-SAY |
| 6Ms. the seal pushed me! | Madame, le phoque m’a poussé | mah-DAHM luh fok mah poo-SAY |
| 7The rooster superb | Le coq superbe! | luh kok soo-PEHRB |
| 8Mr seal pushed me | Monsieur, le phoque m’a poussé ! | muh-SYUH luh fok mah poo-SAY |
| 9Hot pushed me! | Chaud m’a poussé ! | show mah poo-SAY |
| 10Mr. gentle hot pushed me! | Monsieur doo Chaud m’a poussé ! | muh-SYUH doo show mah poo-SAY |