Faux Meaning and Pronunciation: How to Say Faux (Like “Foe”), With Examples
Yurii Rebryk · Updated October 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Faux means fake or imitation: made to look real but not real, as in faux fur or faux leather, or not sincere, as in faux concern. Say it exactly like foe: /foʊ/ in American English and /fəʊ/ in British English, one syllable, with a silent x. English took the word from French, where faux means “false”.
In this article
- How to pronounce faux: it sounds like “foe”
- Why is the x in faux silent?
- Common faux mispronunciations and how to fix them
- Faux, foe, pho, fox and phony: words that sound alike
- What does faux mean? Two meanings with examples
- Faux fur, faux leather and other faux phrases
- Faux pas: meaning, pronunciation and plural
- How to use faux in a sentence
- Other words for faux: synonyms and opposites
- Where does faux come from, and what does it mean in French?
- Practice saying faux out loud
How to pronounce faux: it sounds like “foe”
Faux is pronounced /foʊ/ in American English and /fəʊ/ in British English (Cambridge pronunciation page): /f/ as in fish, then the vowel of nose. Merriam-Webster writes it ˈfō, and Dictionary.com respells it “foh”.
| Accent | IPA | Say it | Rhymes with |
|---|---|---|---|
| American English | /foʊ/ | FOH, gliding toward “oo” | foe, go, toe |
| British English | /fəʊ/ | FOH, starting near “uh” | foe, go, toe |
Why is the x in faux silent?
English borrowed faux from French together with its French sound. French faux is /fo/ (Cambridge French–English Dictionary): au makes one “o” vowel and the final x is not spoken, as in beaux and eaux, which Merriam-Webster lists as rhymes for faux. More spellings that hide the sound: 40 difficult words to pronounce.
One source of the “fox” reading is aux, as in an aux cable: an English abbreviation of auxiliary (Merriam-Webster), so its x is spoken. A Reddit thread on faux shows exactly this mix-up.
Common faux mispronunciations and how to fix them
Is faux pronounced like fake? No: it means fake but sounds like foe. The usual mistakes come from reading the letters as English spelling.
| Mistake | What listeners hear | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| FOKS | the animal fox | Drop the x; end on the vowel. |
| FAWKS (au as in author) | a word that does not exist | Use the “oh” of go. |
| FOH-ks | faux plus an extra sound | Stop after “oh”. |
Faux, foe, pho, fox and phony: words that sound alike
Among common words, only foe (an enemy) always sounds exactly like faux: Cambridge transcribes both words /foʊ/ and /fəʊ/.
| Word | IPA (US · UK) | Same sound as faux? |
|---|---|---|
| foe (an enemy) | /foʊ/ · /fəʊ/ | Yes. |
| pho (noodle soup) | /fʌ/ · /fɜː/ | Usually not: Merriam-Webster lists “foh” only as a second option. |
| fox (an animal) | /fɑːks/ · /fɒks/ | No. |
| phony (not sincere) | /ˈfoʊ.ni/ · /ˈfəʊ.ni/ | Only the first syllable. |
What does faux mean? Two meanings with examples
Faux is an adjective with two meanings in the Cambridge Dictionary and Merriam-Webster. In both, something only looks or sounds real.
| Meaning | Common pairs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Not real, but made to look real | faux fur, faux leather, faux pearls, faux marble | “The sofa is faux leather, so it’s easy to clean.” |
| 2. Not sincerely felt | faux outrage, faux concern, a faux apology | “His faux apology began, ‘I’m sorry if you were offended.’” |
Does faux mean fake? Yes: Cambridge uses the same words for the adjective fake. The difference is tone. Vocabulary.com gives one reason to choose faux, “For fashion”, and Merriam-Webster’s recent examples include faux fur on a dress and a case made of faux leather. The noun a fake, by contrast, is something made “in order to deceive people”. More words with two senses: 21 English words with multiple meanings.
Faux fur, faux leather and other faux phrases
Faux mostly appears in fixed pairs: Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries lists faux fur and faux finish as its collocations. To say any of them, replace faux with foe.
| Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| faux fur | “foe fur” | fabric that looks like animal fur |
| faux leather | “foe leather” | material that looks like leather |
| faux pearls, faux marble | “foe pearls” | imitations of more valuable materials |
| faux-hawk | “FOE-hawk” | a Mohawk-like ridge of upright hair, without shaved sides |
Faux pas: meaning, pronunciation and plural
A faux pas is “an action or a remark that causes somebody to feel embarrassed because it is not socially correct”; in French it means “false step” (Oxford Learner’s). Cambridge gives UK /ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː/ and US /ˌfoʊ ˈpɑː/: foh-PAH. Merriam-Webster also lists FOH-pah, with the stress on faux.
The plural is also spelled faux pas, but Oxford adds a z sound, /ˌfəʊ ˈpɑːz/ (foh-PAHZ), and Merriam-Webster marks the z as optional. Example: “He made two faux pas at dinner.”
How to use faux in a sentence
Faux is an adjective. It usually goes before a noun, but it can also follow be: “The marble inlay is faux” (Cambridge).
| Pattern | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| faux + noun | a faux fur coat | the most common pattern |
| be / look + faux | The fur is faux. | fine in speech and writing |
| faux-noun + noun | a faux-leather sofa | hyphenate before a noun; Collins gives faux-leather as its example of faux “used in compounds” |
Other words for faux: synonyms and opposites
The closest synonyms are fake, imitation and artificial; Merriam-Webster also lists synthetic, simulated, false and mock. Choose by context:
| Word | Use it for |
|---|---|
| fake, imitation | any copy; imitation is “made to look like something else” (imitation leather) |
| synthetic | products “made from artificial substances” (Cambridge) |
| counterfeit | copies made “for dishonest or illegal purposes” |
| sham, phony | feelings and people that are not sincere |
| ersatz | a replacement used because the real thing is “too expensive or rare” |
Opposites: real, genuine, authentic.
Where does faux come from, and what does it mean in French?
Faux is the French word for “false” (Merriam-Webster). Dictionary.com traces it to Old French fals and Latin falsus and dates it in English to 1670–80; Merriam-Webster’s first known use is 1682. English false is a relative, from Latin falsum through Old English (Oxford Learner’s).
In French, faux also means “wrong”: faire un faux numéro is to dial a wrong number, and chanter faux is to sing off-key (Cambridge French–English Dictionary). English kept only the imitation and insincere senses.
Practice saying faux out loud
Read the passage aloud, record yourself and compare it with the Cambridge audio. The shadowing guide and English pronunciation practice have more drills.
Faux, foe and faux pas
B1I bought a faux leather jacket and a faux fur scarf. They look real, but they are faux.
My friend asked, “Faux, like fox?” “No,” I said. “Faux, like foe. The x is silent.”
At dinner I made a faux pas: I asked if the table was real marble. It was faux.
Faux pearls, faux flowers, faux concern: faux means it only looks real.
Read it aloud
Listen to a model reading, then record yourself. You get your speaking pace, the share of words that came through clearly, and the words to repeat.
Check how your faux sounds
A dictionary plays the right sound but cannot hear yours. Fluently, an AI speaking coach for iOS and Android, gives feedback on your pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary and grammar. The download is free and starts with a free four-minute speaking assessment; full practice is a subscription after a free trial. Fluently is rated 4.8 on the App Store from 5.8K ratings (October 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Is faux a noun?
Not in standard English: Cambridge, Merriam-Webster and Oxford Learner’s list faux only as an adjective. Say “it’s faux”, or use the nouns a fake and an imitation. In French, un faux is a noun meaning a fake or a forgery.
What does faux mean in slang?
There is no separate slang sense in Cambridge, Merriam-Webster or Oxford Learner’s. Informally, faux describes behavior that feels put on, as in Oxford’s example “His accent was so faux”.
How do you pronounce faux in French?
French faux is /fo/: a short, pure “o” with a silent x and no glide at the end. The feminine form fausse is /fos/ (Cambridge French–English Dictionary).
