Word Confusion: Fiancé versus Fiancée

Posted May 22, 2014 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
5 July 2023

Yep, it’s another one of those French male-versus-female distinctions. Authors may want to make a general note about French words that apply to one sex or the other, to be aware of that extra e that gets applied to the feminine version. If only because it drives me nuts to read about his fiancé. Well, unless it’s a male-on-male novel and one guy has just proposed to the other guy. And I gotta tell ya . . . it doesn’t happen that often. Ahem.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Fiancé vs Fiancée” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

Return to top

Fiancé Fiancée

Stylish Man in Sunglasses by Olichel is in the public domain, via FreeRangeStock.

A fiancé is always a man.


The painting, La Fiancée, is by Jules Lefebvre and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Part of Grammar:
Noun

Plural: fiancés

Noun

Plural: fiancées

MALE


Man who is engaged to be married
FEMALE


Woman who is engaged to be married
Examples:
George is my fiancé.

Would you believe that Susan has a fiancé?

She left to present her fiancé to her family.

Susan is my fiancée.

Would you believe that Paul has a fiancée?

He left to present his fiancée to his family.

Derivatives:
Verb: affiance, affianced
History of the Word:
Mid-19th century is from French, the past participle of fiancer meaning betroth, which is from Old French fiance meaning a promise and based on the Latin fidere meaning to trust.

Return to top

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

Return to top

Resources for Fiancé versus Fiancée

Apple Dictionary.com

Return to top

Pinterest Photo Credits

Engaged! by Noelle Franzen, under the FreeImages.com Content License.

Kathy's KD Did It signature