How to pronounce Sommelier

What is Sommelier?

A trained wine professional, usually in a restaurant, who looks after the cellar, builds the wine list and helps guests choose and serve wine.

The name means “Wine steward” in French.

A sommelier is a wine professional, most often working in a restaurant. The job covers buying and storing wine, writing the wine list, training the floor staff and working with the kitchen on pairings. At the table, the sommelier helps guests choose a bottle, then opens, checks and serves it. Many also look after beer, spirits and other drinks.

The word is French and did not start with wine. It is built on somme, a pack or load, and first named the person in charge of pack animals and of arranging transport. The link to the cellar came later, and English borrowed the word in its restaurant sense.

Several bodies examine and certify sommeliers. The Court of Master Sommeliers, established in 1977, runs four levels that end in the Master Sommelier Diploma. The first Master Sommelier exam was held in London in 1969, and the Court counts about 300 holders of the title worldwide. A woman in the role is a sommelière in French; English uses sommelier for everyone.

Sommelier, syllable by syllable

Why Sommelier is hard to say

The French ending -ier is read "yay", and its final r is not sounded. English has its own habits for the same letters, as in "cashier" or "premier", so the eye expects "eer". The French pattern is the one you already use in Viognier and Meunier, and in premier when it appears in Premier Cru.

The middle e has no accent mark, so it is the weak French e: a quick, light uh. Here it stays audible, because it separates the m from the ly that follows. French also has no strong word stress. A light emphasis falls on the last syllable, which is why the respelling ends in capitals. English tends to pull the stress forward, as in the British form with the weight on the second syllable.

Other accepted pronunciations

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

• sum-uhl-YAY — Established American English form.
• som-EL-ee-ay — Established British English form.

Tips for saying it

How to use sommelier in a sentence

In a restaurant you can simply ask whether there is a sommelier, then say what you like to drink and roughly what you want to spend. In English conversation the established forms sum-uhl-YAY and som-EL-ee-ay are fine to use. If you want the French form, keep the first two syllables light and land on LYAY.

• “Is there a sommelier who could help us pick a bottle?” Three beats, ending on LYAY.
• “The sommelier suggested a white Burgundy with the fish.”

Names often confused with Sommelier

• Sommelière (soh-muh-LYAIR): The French feminine form, where the added e makes the r sound; the masculine sommelier ends on an open ay.
• Viognier (vee-own-YAY): A white grape with the same -ier ending, read yay with a silent r.
• Meunier (mun-YAY): A Champagne grape with the same -ier ending: yay, with a silent r.
• Premier Cru (pruh-mee-YAY KROO): Premier follows the same rule, though English readers know the word with a sounded r from other contexts.

Questions about pronouncing Sommelier

How do you pronounce sommelier?

In French, sommelier is pronounced soh-muh-LYAY, with three syllables, a light stress on the last one and no r sound at the end. In English the established forms are sum-uhl-YAY in American use and som-EL-ee-ay in British use, and both are accepted.

Is the r silent in sommelier?

Yes. In French the ending -ier is read "yay" and the final r is not sounded, so the word ends on an open "ay" as in "day". The English forms sum-uhl-YAY and som-EL-ee-ay follow French here and also end in "ay", with no r.

How do you pronounce sommelier in American and British English?

For American English, Cambridge and Dictionary.com give sum-uhl-YAY, with the main stress on the last syllable. For British English, Cambridge gives a four-syllable som-EL-ee-ay, stressed on the second syllable, and Collins gives SUM-uhl-yay. All are established English forms that end in an open "ay" with no r.

What does sommelier mean?

A sommelier is a trained wine professional, usually in a restaurant, who manages the cellar and wine list and advises guests. The French word is built on somme, a pack or load, and first named the person in charge of pack animals and transport, and only later the person in charge of the wine.

What is the difference between a sommelier and a Master Sommelier?

Sommelier is a job title for someone who works in wine service. Master Sommelier is a specific qualification, the top of four levels examined by the Court of Master Sommeliers. About 300 people worldwide hold it.

Sources: Cambridge Dictionary: sommelier, Wiktionary: sommelier, Dictionary.com: sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers: About Master Sommeliers. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.