How to pronounce "laissez passer" in English
ˌleɪ.seɪˈpæ.seɪ
lay·say·PA·say
Primary stress: PA
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
No video clips indexed yet for “laissez passer”
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “laissez passer”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
lay
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
say
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
PA
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
say
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("PA"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "laissez passer" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "laissez passer is" sounds like "laissez passer-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "laissez passer" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Practice Speaking “laissez passer”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
The diplomat presented her laissez-passer at the border checkpoint to expedite her entry.
Hear it in context: “laissez passer”
The English word “laissez passer” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌleɪ.seɪˈpæ.seɪ (phonetic respelling: lay-say-PA-say). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (lay · say · PA · say), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (PA). Grammatically, “laissez passer” functions as a noun. Hear native speakers say laissez passer in context across real video clips
Definition & Meaning: “laissez passer”
- A document granting permission to travel or pass freely, typically issued by a government authority.
Example Sentences (1)
- “The diplomat presented her laissez-passer at the border checkpoint to expedite her entry.”
Pronounce: “laissez passer”
- Pronunciation:
- lay-say-PA-say
- Syllables:
- lay · say · PA · say
- Written Hyphenation:
- laissez · passer
- Primary stress:
- PA
- IPA:
- ˌleɪ.seɪˈpæ.seɪ
- Hear it in context
- laissez passer
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"laissez passer" (⁄ˌleɪ.seɪˈpæ.seɪ⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "laissez passer" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about laissez passer
How do you pronounce “laissez passer”?
“laissez passer” is pronounced ⁄ˌleɪ.seɪˈpæ.seɪ⁄ (lay-say-PA-say). Listen to the audio pronunciation above to hear it spoken clearly.
How many syllables are in “laissez passer”?
“laissez passer” has 4 syllables: lay · say · PA · say.
Where is the stress in “laissez passer”?
The primary stress in “laissez passer” is on “PA”.
What does “laissez passer” mean?
A document granting permission to travel or pass freely, typically issued by a government authority.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “laissez passer”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).