ROI
/ʁwa/masculine
ROI is the French term for return on investment.
Meaning: return on investment (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ROI is the standard abbreviation, you may encounter Retour sur investissement or Rendement du capital investi (RCI) in more specific or formal financial contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁwa/
Did you know?
- The financial abbreviation ROI is a homophone for the French word roi, meaning 'king'. In a business meeting, this can lead to playful puns about who is the 'king' of the project.
- The word roi is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'regal', as both derive from the Latin rēgem.
- French has a specific term roi soleil meaning 'sun king', which is used not just for Louis XIV but to describe anyone who believes the world revolves around them.
Examples in context
- Le ROI est très élevé sur ce projet.The ROI is very high on this project.
- Nous devons calculer le ROI avant d'investir.We must calculate the ROI before investing.
- Quel est le ROI prévu pour cette campagne ?What is the expected ROI for this campaign?
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are discussing a new business strategy in an office.
- LéaLucas, quel est le ROI de cette publicité ?Lucas, what is the ROI of this advertisement?
- LucasLe ROI semble prometteur pour l'instant.The ROI looks promising for now.
- LéaC'est une bonne nouvelle pour notre équipe.That is good news for our team.
- LucasOui, nous allons continuer ainsi.Yes, we are going to continue like this.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “roi” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry roi.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries roi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
