It helps if you understand the origins of the words. Chair has been in the English language for a long time. Chef is a more recent borrowing from French, and hence is still pronounced the French way.

Answer from mikeagg on Stack Exchange
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HowToPronounce.com
howtopronounce.com › french › chef
Chef pronunciation in French
April 4, 2024 - How to say chef in French? Pronunciation of chef with 3 audio pronunciations, 20 synonyms, 1 meaning, 10 translations, 22 sentences and more for chef.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How to Pronounce Chef French VS English, Pronunciation Guide - YouTube
This video shows you how How to Pronounce Chef French VS English, Pronunciation Guide, pronunciation guide.Hear more useful French words pronounced: https://...
Published   November 23, 2021
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EasyPronunciation
easypronunciation.com › en › french › word › chef
Chef — Pronunciation: HD Slow Audio + Phonetic Transcription
Practice pronunciation of chef and other French words with our Pronunciation Trainer. Try it for free! No registration required. ... We know sometimes French may seem complicated. We don't want you to waste your time. Check all our tools and learn French faster! convert text to phonetic transcription learn to distinguish similar sounds, like in "douze" and "douce" learn phonetic symbols with an interactive IPA chart practice pronunciation with short simple sentences (video vocabulary builder for beginners) search words by phonetic transcription insert phonetic transcription into subtitles
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WordHippo
wordhippo.com › what-is › the › french-word-for-chef.html
How to say chef in French
French words for chef include cuisinier, chef de cuisine, chef cuisinier and cheuf. Find more French words at wordhippo.com!
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OUINO
ouinolanguages.com › blog › chef-in-french
How to Say “Chef” in French? What is the meaning of “Chef cuisinier”? - OUINO
Le chef jonglait avec des couteaux. The chef juggled with knives. Restaurant Words & Phrases in French.
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Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › chef
chef - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Chef, halte hoor. Driver, I'd like to get off the bus here. ... Inherited from Middle French chief, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”), from Proto-Italic *kaput, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kauput-, *kaput-. Doublet of cap.
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Forvo
forvo.com › word › chef
How to pronounce chef in English - Definition and synonyms of chef in English
par extension poste à responsabilité (chef de cabinet, chef cuisinier, chef opérateur, chef d'orchestre, chef de famille)
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Language Drops
languagedrops.com › word › en › english › french › translate › chef
What is "Chef" in French and how to say it?
Learn the word for "Chef" and other related vocabulary in French so that you can talk about Fine Dining with confidence.
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Quora
quora.com › Why-is-chef-pronounced-shef
Why is chef pronounced shef? - Quora
*chief is from old French (13c) and at that time /tʃ/ was assigned to ch. *chef is a more recent loan (1800). Modern French assigns /ʃ/ to ch. If the words were anglicized, they would be spelled...
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Pronounce
pronounce.tv › home
How to Navigate Pronunciation Challenges with Chef
April 8, 2024 - In French, the word “chef” is pronounced with a soft “sh” sound at the beginning, similar to the English word “shef” but with a more subtle pronunciation of the “sh” sound.
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HowToPronounce.com
howtopronounce.com › french › le-chef
Le chef pronunciation in French
December 24, 2022 - How to say le chef in French? Pronunciation of le chef with 2 audio pronunciations, 15 translations, 10 sentences and more for le chef.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english-french › chef
CHEF | translate English to French - Cambridge Dictionary
CHEF translate: chef [masculine] (de cuisinie), chef. Learn more in the Cambridge English-French Dictionary.
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Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english-french › chef
French Translation of “CHEF” | Collins English-French Dictionary
A chef is a cook in a restaurant or hotel. ... Drag the correct answer into the box. ... Drag the correct answer into the box. ... Drag the correct answer into the box. ... Explore the versatile French word plan, its meanings, examples, and false-friend pitfalls to help boost your vocabulary and confidence.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › pronunciation › english › chef
CHEF | Pronunciation in English
CHEF pronunciation. How to say CHEF. Listen to the audio pronunciation in English. Learn more.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › french-english › chef
CHEF | translate French to English - Cambridge Dictionary
The county chief of police reported that only six people were injured in the incident, and that they suffered wounds that would heal within eight days. ... Le rapport du chef des observateurs doit indiquer la bonne direction.
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Quora
quora.com › Why-is-the-word-chef-pronounced-with-a-ch-sound-but-the-words-cheese-and-chemistry-are-not
Why is the word 'chef' pronounced with a 'ch' sound, but the words 'cheese' and 'chemistry' are not? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): The simple answer is that there is more than one way to pronounce ch. The slightly more thorough answer is that chef comes from French, whereas the others do not. Cheese, or so I’ve read, comes from Old English. You’ll come across this kind of thing alllllllllll the time in Engl...
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Deep English
deepenglish.com › home › how to pronounce
How to Pronounce Chef
April 11, 2025 - The chefs worked together in the kitchen. Learn pronunciation → · tʃæf · Farmers separate the wheat from the chaff. Learn pronunciation → · ʃɛfs · The chef's special is well-known. Learn pronunciation → · tʃif · The chief made an important announcement. Learn pronunciation → · The word 'chef' comes from the French phrase 'chef de cuisine,' meaning 'head of the kitchen,' highlighting its original use for the chief cook, not just any cook.
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Forvo
forvo.com › word › chef_de_cuisine
Chef de cuisine pronunciation: How to pronounce Chef de cuisine in French, English
Pronunciation guide: Learn how to pronounce Chef de cuisine in French, English with native pronunciation. Chef de cuisine translation and audio pronunciation