What does raconteur mean?
Word: Raconteur
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Raconteur means a person who can keep listeners delighted with amusing accounts of things that have happened.
How do you spell raconteur?
Syllables: rac - on - teur
Tricky part: The word came from French and keeps a French ending of three letters, which pupils cut down to er.
Watch out for: raconter, racontuer, raconteer
Memory tip: This word came from France, a part of Europe, and it ends with the three letters that open Europe.
Raconteur in a sentence
Example 1: My grandmother is a fine raconteur with a tale for every old photograph.
Example 2: The retired pilot was a natural raconteur at the school reunion.
Example 3: As a raconteur, Mr Menon can make a late train sound like an adventure.
Fun Fact
Its French parent verb means to tell, and it is a cousin of the English word recount.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt. Choose the meaning of the one spelt correctly.
1. raconteur 2. ventriloqist 3. anecdoat 4. comedien
a) a performer who makes people laugh
b) a performer who makes a puppet seem to talk
c) a lively person who makes any true tale worth hearing
d) a short amusing account of a real event
Show answer
c) a lively person who makes any true tale worth hearing. Raconteur is right as printed; comedian, anecdote and ventriloquist are the proper spellings.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
racconteur
a) r
b) n
c) t
d) c
Show answer
d) c. French gave English this word with a lone c after the opening vowel.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Grandfather is a born nctuoarre, and the whole family gathers round him after dinner.
a) connoisseur
b) chauffeur
c) amateur
d) raconteur
Show answer
d) raconteur. With no h, f, m or s in the jumble, only one word is left.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word raconteur as used in the sentence:
Our tour guide in Vienna turned out to be a brilliant raconteur who made the old palace come alive.
a) sculptor
b) storyteller
c) treasurer
d) navigator
Show answer
b) storyteller. The guide brings a palace to life with words alone, and that is the gift of a storyteller.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which guest at a family lunch best fits the label raconteur?
a) the neighbour who leaves right after the meal
b) the cousin who photographs every guest
c) the aunt whose tales keep the table laughing
d) the uncle who quietly arranges the chairs
Show answer
c) the aunt whose tales keep the table laughing
2. What skill would a good raconteur need most?
a) a head for heights
b) a sense of timing
c) a head for figures
d) a steady hand
Show answer
b) a sense of timing
