French · Food & Drink

"Honey" in French: miel

le miel

Say it: myelmasculine · le mielnoun/mjɛl/

Honey in French is le miel, masculine. You put du miel in tea or on toast. As a pet name, French prefers mon chéri / ma chérie more than miel.

Breakfast

Je mets du miel sur mon yaourt.
I put honey on my yogurt.
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How to pronounce miel

Say it

myel

/mjɛl/

Miel: myel in one syllable—like "myell" blended. The ie is a quick yeh glide.

"Honey" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le mielhoney

The food.

du mielsome honey

Partitive.

miel d'acaciaacacia honey

Common mild type.

une cuillère de miela spoonful of honey

Measure.

How to use miel in real life

  1. 1Breakfast

    Je mets du miel sur mon yaourt.

    I put honey on my yogurt.

    Du miel partitive.

  2. 2Sore throat

    Prends une cuillère de miel.

    Take a spoonful of honey.

    Home remedy talk.

  3. 3Market

    Ce miel est produit près d'ici.

    This honey is produced nearby.

    Local food pride.

Mistakes English speakers make with miel

Incorrect: La miel.

Correct: Le miel.

Miel is masculine.

Incorrect: Hello, honey! (to a stranger in French)

Correct: Avoid miel as a casual pet name with strangers.

Miel is mainly the food; use names or bonjour instead.

Good to know

Markets and vacation regions sell miel artisanal by flower type. In speech, calling someone miel is rare; stick to food contexts unless you're sure of the joke.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

At a breakfast table

  1. ChatPal

    Il reste du miel ?

    Is there any honey left?

  2. You

    Oui, le miel est près de la confiture.

    Yes, the honey is next to the jam.

  3. ChatPal

    Tu en veux dans ton thé ?

    Do you want some in your tea?

  4. You

    Juste un peu, merci.

    Just a little, thanks.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Honey" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Honey" in French

Gender of miel?

Masculine: le miel.

How do I say some honey?

Du miel.

Is miel a pet name?

Rarely; prefer mon chéri / ma chérie.

Pronunciation?

Myel.

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