How to Say "Kentucky" in French

Kentucky

/kɛn.ty.ki/masculine

To say Kentucky in French, use Kentucky. The name of the US state keeps its English spelling.

Kentucky is the name of the US state. It is usually used with the article, as in Le Kentucky.

Meaning: US state (name)

Which one should you use?

L'État du Kentucky is a formal way to say the state of Kentucky.

Kentucky is masculine, so in Kentucky is au Kentucky, a contraction of à and le.

The IPA is /kɛn.ty.ki/. The middle vowel is the French u sound, made with rounded lips.

The French pronunciation places a heavy stress on the final syllable, which is a departure from the rhythmic stress pattern found in English.
When discussing the US in French, Kentucky is frequently grouped with le Tennessee or l'Arkansas to evoke the specific cultural image of the American South.
The word Kentucky is a direct phonetic loan from English, meaning no French spelling adaptations were made to accommodate the language's rules.

Kentucky crie « foutreries ».
Kentucky screams "fuck".
Here Kentucky is the subject of a short sentence.
Tatoeba #7563559 by Micsmithel, translation #411113 by MUIRIEL
Abraham Lincoln, le 16e Président des États-Unis, est né dans une fuste au Kentucky.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in a log cabin in Kentucky.
Here au Kentucky means in Kentucky.
Tatoeba #640610 by nimfeo, translation #241323 by CK
Je suis originaire du Kentucky.
I am from Kentucky.
L'État du Kentucky est célèbre pour le derby de chevaux.
The state of Kentucky is famous for the horse race.
J'ai hâte de visiter le Kentucky, c'est trop cool!
I'm looking forward to visiting Kentucky, it's so cool!
Je voudrais visiter le Kentucky un jour.
I would like to visit Kentucky one day.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking about travel plans.

Léa

Est-ce que tu connais le Kentucky ?
Do you know Kentucky?
Hugo

Oui, c'est un bel État.
Yes, it is a beautiful state.
Léa

J'aimerais bien y aller avec toi.
I would really like to go there with you.
Hugo

C'est une excellente idée, Léa.
That is an excellent idea, Léa.

Sources

Wiktionary, “kentucky” translations and entries Kentucky, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries Kentucky, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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