canard
/ka.naʁ/masculine
In French, canard is the word for a false or misleading report or story.
In a journalistic context, canard refers specifically to a hoax or a fabricated news story.
Meaning: false or misleading report or story (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the word canard means 'duck'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ka.naʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, canard is a common slang term for a newspaper. Because of this, a fabricated news story is called a canard as a play on the word for the publication itself.
- The word canard shares a distant ancestor with the Old English word 'cnearr' which meant 'merchant ship'.
Examples in context
- Le canard est un oiseau aquatique très apprécié en cuisine française.The duck is a commonly cherished aquatic bird in French cuisine.
- Je vais prendre le canard à l'orange, s'il vous plaît.I'll have the duck with orange, please.
- Les canards sont très adorables, surtout quand ils nagent en file indienne.Ducks are very adorable, especially when they swim in a single file.
- Ce journal publie souvent un canard.This newspaper often publishes a fake story.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing a celebrity rumor.
- NathanTu as vu l'article sur lui ?Did you see the article about him?
- ChloéOui, mais c'est sûrement un canard.Yes, but it's probably a hoax.
- NathanJe trouve que c'est crédible.I think it's believable.
- ChloéC'est juste un canard pour attirer des lecteurs.It's just a false story to attract readers.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “canard” translations and entries canard, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries canard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
