How do you say "ashamed" in French?

honte

Adjective Noun

In French, "ashamed" is honte.

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free French learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

This is ohnt, a nasal syllable where the final t is silent, said through the nose.

Grammar notes

honte is a adjective used the same way as its English equivalent.

Example sentence

Il se sentait honteux de son erreur.

He felt ashamed of his mistake.

Test your French knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember honte

Honte sounds like the start of the English word haunt, picture shame haunting you afterward.

Related words

Browse all French words in the glossary.

Questions about honte

How do you pronounce honte?

This is ohnt, a nasal syllable where the final t is silent, said through the nose.

Is honte formal or casual?

honte is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is honte used in French?

honte is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: Il se sentait honteux de son erreur. (He felt ashamed of his mistake.).

Where can I practice French words for free?

You can play free French minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the French glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Ashamed" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the French language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town