How to spell restaurant
A Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
restaurant
R-E-S-T-A-U-R-A-N-T
The part to watch: rest + au + rant. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
Restaurant comes from French. It has au in the middle, which you hardly hear, and ends -ant.
Restaurant is one of the words on the Year 5 and 6 list with a spelling from another language. These words came into English from French or Dutch. Their spellings do not follow English sound patterns, so learn them by sight.
Common mistakes with restaurant
- Wrong: resturantRight: restaurant
- Wrong: restarauntRight: restaurant
- Wrong: restuarantRight: restaurant
A way to remember it
Rest + au + rant: you rest at a restaurant, and the au is the French bit.
Restaurant in syllables
res · tau · rant
Restaurant has 3 syllables. Say each one as you write it.
In a sentence
We went to an Italian restaurant for my birthday.
Restaurant on the statutory list
Restaurant is on the Year 5 and 6 statutory word list in the national curriculum for England. Children are taught these words in Years 5 and 6, when they are 9 to 11.
Test yourself
A short spelling test that starts with restaurant, then nine more words from the Year 5 and 6 list, read aloud. It works in your browser.
More words from other languages
Other words on the Year 5 and 6 list that came into English from another language.
More words
Questions parents ask
How do you spell restaurateur?
A restaurateur runs a restaurant. It has no n: r-e-s-t-a-u-r-a-t-e-u-r.
Spelling is one part of the picture
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