Connoisseur

How to spell connoisseur

11 letters · 3 syllables

507 of the 612 people asked to spell connoisseur in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.

The most common mistake is conniseur. The letters people get wrong are highlighted.

conniseur connoisseur

What people typed instead

• conniseur46 people
• connosieur35 people
• connoiseur32 people
• conisseur25 people
• conoisseur22 people
• connisseur19 people

How to pronounce connoisseur

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does connoisseur mean?

1. nounAn expert judge in matters of taste, especially in the fine arts, food, or drink.

Connoisseur in a sentence

• He's a connoisseur of fine wine.

• A true coffee connoisseur can taste the difference.

• He's considered a connoisseur of modern art.

Where does connoisseur come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from French, where an older spelling connoisseur meant literally 'one who knows'. It was formed from the Old French verb conoistre, 'to know', which itself descends from the Latin cognoscere, 'to get to know' or 'to recognise' (built from co- 'thoroughly' and gnoscere, an early form of noscere, 'to know'). English borrowed the term in the early 1700s to describe an expert judge in matters of taste, especially the fine arts. The double s and the -eur ending faithfully preserve the older French spelling, which is precisely why it traps modern writers: in present-day French the word is actually spelled connaisseur, so the English form froze an antique version. The same Latin root sits inside familiar relatives such as 'recognise', 'cognition', and 'reconnaissance'.

How the word is built

• con- (with, thoroughly)
• -noiss- (from Old French conoistre 'to know', from Latin cognoscere)
• -eur (agent suffix: one who)

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