chewing-gum
/ʃwiŋ.ɡɔm/France, masculine
Chewing gum in French can be said as chewing-gum, gomme à mâcher or chiclette or chiclet. Wiktionary also lists chiclette f or chiclet.
Meaning: flavoured preparation for chewing (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| chewing-gum | /ʃwiŋ.ɡɔm/ /ʃɥiŋ.ɡɔm/ |
France, masculine |
| gomme à mâcher | /ɡɔ.m‿a ma.ʃe/ /ɡɔ.m‿a mɑ.ʃe/ |
Canada, Louisiana, New England, feminine |
| chiclette f or chiclet | Belgium, Switzerland, masculine |
The phrase refers to a flavoured preparation intended for chewing.
Which one should you use?
chewing-gum is a masculine noun, while gomme à mâcher is a feminine noun. In Belgium and Switzerland, the masculine forms chiclette or chiclet are also used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
gomme à mâcher is the standard term in Canada (specifically Quebec), Louisiana and New England. chiclette or chiclet is used in Belgium and Switzerland. chewing-gum is common in France.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because chewing-gum is a masculine noun, you use the partitive article du to say some chewing gum (e.g., du chewing-gum).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of chewing-gum is /ʃwiŋ.ɡɔm/ and it has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The term chiclette comes from the brand name Chiclets, which itself is derived from the Spanish word 'chicle'. This Spanish word originates from the Classical Nahuatl word tzictli.
- In Belgium and Switzerland, chiclette is a common term, whereas in France, using this word might sound like you are referring specifically to a brand of gum rather than the product itself.
Examples in context
- Mon aéroglisseur est rempli d'anguilles, et il y a un peu de chewing-gum collé à mon clavier.My hovercraft is full of eels, and there's a bit of chewing gum stuck to my keyboard.This sentence uses chewing-gum to describe gum stuck to a keyboard.Tatoeba #1985212 by Sbgodin, translation #1985185 by Sbgodin
- Où est le chewing-gum ?Where's the chewing gum?This sentence uses chewing-gum to ask for the location of the gum.Tatoeba #12895598 by Adelpa, translation #12894667 by deniko
- Tom mâche de la gomme à mâcher.Tom is chewing gum.This sentence uses gomme à mâcher to describe the act of chewing gum.Tatoeba #1692844 by Scott, translation #2273066 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are sitting in a cafe.
- GabrielLéa, est-ce que tu as du chewing-gum ?Léa, do you have any chewing gum?
- LéaOui, j'en ai dans mon sac.Yes, I have some in my bag.
- GabrielSuper, merci beaucoup !Great, thank you very much!
- LéaDe rien, Gabriel.You're welcome, Gabriel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chewing gum” translations and entries chewing-gum, gomme à mâcher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chewing-gum, chiclette, gomme, gomme à mâcher, mâcher, or, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
