How to pronounce Claret

What is Claret?

A chiefly British English name for red wine from Bordeaux in southwest France, also used for Bordeaux-style reds made elsewhere and for a deep purplish-red color.

Claret is a chiefly British English name for red Bordeaux, the dry red wine of the Bordeaux region in southwest France. It is a trade and conversational term, not an appellation, so it covers everything from simple regional bottlings to classified growths. English speakers also use the word for a deep purplish-red color.

The name goes back to the medieval wine trade. After Henry Plantagenet married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, Bordeaux gained a lasting export market in England. The wine shipped then was pale, closer to a dark rosé than to modern red Bordeaux, and it was known in French as clairet, from the Latin for clear. English kept the word while the wine grew darker. The first known uses of claret for dark red Bordeaux date from the 1700s.

Red Bordeaux is nearly always a blend. Cabernet Sauvignon leads on the left bank of the Gironde, in the Médoc and Graves, and Merlot leads on the right bank, in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, with Cabernet Franc in support. Expect a dry, medium to full bodied wine with blackcurrant and plum fruit and firm tannin.

Claret is a protected name for red Bordeaux in the European Union, and it appears on some generic red Bordeaux sold in Britain. In the United States it is a semi-generic label term that producers sometimes use for Bordeaux-style reds. French producers generally keep the word for export.

Claret, syllable by syllable

Why Claret is hard to say

French wine words usually end in a silent t and carry their weight at the end, as in Merlot and Cabernet. Claret looks like it belongs to that group, so the eye expects klah-RAY. It does not belong, because the word has been English since the Middle Ages. It follows English habits: stress at the front, a reduced second vowel and a sounded final t.

In British English claret rhymes, or nearly rhymes, with "carrot". Wine names that English took in early behave the same way. Burgundy is BUR-gun-dee, a long way from French Bourgogne. The rule that transfers: when English has its own old name for a wine, say it as English.

Other accepted pronunciations

These are also correct, and Vinolingo scores them as correct:

• KLAIR-it — Established American English form.
• KLAR-ut — Established English form, with a weak uh in the second syllable.

Tips for saying it

How to use claret in a sentence

Use claret where you would say red Bordeaux, mostly in British company or with a traditional wine merchant. In an American shop, asking for a red Bordeaux is clearer. Say KLAR-it with the t sounded. KLAIR-it and KLAR-ut are established and equally fine.

• “We will have a bottle of the house claret with the lamb.”
• “Do you have a mature claret that is ready to drink now?”

Names often confused with Claret

• Bordeaux (bor-DOH): The region and the wine's French name; claret means its red wines only, while Bordeaux also covers white, rosé and sweet wines.
• Clairet (kleh-REH): The French word behind claret, with a silent t; today it names a dark rosé bottled as Bordeaux Clairet.
• Cabernet Sauvignon (kab-er-NAY so-vin-YAWN): The main grape of left bank claret; like Merlot, Cabernet keeps its French silent t, which claret does not.

Questions about pronouncing Claret

How do you pronounce claret?

Claret is pronounced KLAR-it, with two syllables, the stress on the first and a sounded t at the end. In British English it rhymes, or nearly rhymes, with carrot. American speakers also say KLAIR-it, and that form is equally accepted.

Is the t silent in claret?

No. Claret is an English word and the t is sounded: KLAR-it. The silent t belongs to the French word clairet, said kleh-REH, which is the source of the name and today means a dark rosé from Bordeaux. Merriam-Webster, Cambridge and Collins all give forms with a sounded t.

What does claret mean?

Claret is a chiefly British name for red wine from Bordeaux in southwest France, and by extension for similar red wines made elsewhere. It also names a deep purplish-red color. The word comes from Old French and Medieval Latin terms for a clear or clarified wine.

What is the difference between claret and Bordeaux?

Bordeaux is the region and the official name on the label, and it covers red, white, rosé and sweet wines. Claret is an English name for the red wines only. The word is not an appellation and says nothing about quality level.

How do you pronounce claret in American and British English?

For British English, dictionaries give KLAR-it or KLAR-ut, with the short a of cat. For American English, Dictionary.com gives KLAR-it, and many Americans say KLAIR-it. All of these keep the stress at the front and sound the t.

Sources: Wiktionary: claret, Dictionary.com: claret, Wine Spectator: Why are Bordeaux wines called "claret"?, Wikipedia: Bordeaux wine. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.