Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sous-chef

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.08 in modern English

Syllables
sous-chef
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The chef underneath the head chef in the chef's hierarchy.

Etymology

From French sous-chef. Compare Italian sotto capo, which was calqued into English as underboss. Perhaps there was ultimately an unattested term *subcaput in Late Latin, with a variant *subciput.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

sous-chefs (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

subchef underchef commis subcook undercook chef de partie station chef line cook

Questions

What does sous-chef mean?
The chef underneath the head chef in the chef's hierarchy.
Where does sous-chef come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce sous-chef

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sous-chef”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sous-chef”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “sous-chef” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.