French word

gâteau

Pronunciation

IPA/gato/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncake

Example

J'ai acheté un gâteau pour ton anniversaire.

I bought a cake for your birthday.

Illustration for gâteau (cake)

More examples

Elle a préparé un gâteau au chocolat.

She prepared a chocolate cake.

Core concept

A cuttable sweet treat built from dough or batter, often joined to cream, fruit, or another filling.

Common phrases

  • gâteau au chocolat

    chocolate cake

  • un gâteau d'anniversaire

    a birthday cake

  • couper le gâteau

    cut the cake

Similar words

tarte: A sweet pastry with a crust topped with fruit or cream.
pâtisserie: A term for pastries and baked sweets such as cakes and croissants.
dessert: A sweet dish or confection served at the end of a meal.
biscuit: A small, thin, crisp sweet baked treat.

Definition in French

Denrée sucrée, souvent composée d'une pâte et d'un fourrage, servie en portions pour le dessert ou les célébrations.

Word origin

Modern gâteau developed from the Old French forms gastel and gasteau through gradual changes in spelling and pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • The plural spelling gâteaux keeps the circumflex and adds x, but its pronunciation is normally the same as singular gâteau.

Word lists with this word