Fiancee or Fiance? The Extra E Does the Work
A fiancee is a woman engaged to be married; a fiance is a man. Both come from a French verb meaning to trust.
Fiancee is the woman in an engaged couple, fiance the man — the difference is one silent *e*, kept from French. The root is *fier*, to trust, from Latin *fidere*: an engagement is a promise given and taken on trust, and the same *fides* is inside *faith*, *confide* and *fidelity*.
- A woman engaged to be married. *He introduced his fiancee.*
- Fiance — the man in the same position. *Her fiance proposed in June.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (f) | fiancee | His fiancee. |
| Noun (m) | fiance | Her fiance. |
| Plural | fiancees | Two fiancees. |
| Related | engaged | They got engaged. |
| Related | engagement | A long engagement. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She met her fiance at university.One e for the man.
- His fiancee is a doctor in Leeds.Two e's for the woman.
- They were engaged for three years.The plain verb avoids the whole problem.
Words English took whole from French
- Fiancee / fiance — engaged woman and man
- Blonde / blond — the same rule with hair
- Divorcee — a divorced person, most often a woman
- Confidante / confidant — someone trusted with secrets
- Employee — originally the same pattern, now used for everyone
From French *fiancée*, past participle of *fiancer*, to betroth, from *fier*, to trust, from Latin *fidere*. English borrowed both forms in the nineteenth century and mostly dropped the accents.
Do you need the accent?
Not in English. Fiancé and fiancée keep the accent in careful writing, but fiance and fiancee are widely accepted.
Is there a neutral word?
Partner or betrothed. Many couples simply say we are engaged and avoid the noun.