A bon mot (pronounced “bone moe”) is a clever, witty remark that makes people smile or laugh because of how perfectly it captures a situation. The phrase comes from French, where it literally means “good word.”

When someone delivers a bon mot, they've said something smart and funny at just the right moment. Imagine a student who's constantly interrupting class. When the teacher finally says, “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but let's give someone else a chance to share their ideas,” that's a bon mot: it's polite, it makes a point, and it's perfectly timed.

A good bon mot is brief, sophisticated, and shows that the speaker really understands what's happening. Mark Twain was famous for his bons mots, like when he said, “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead,” perfectly capturing how editing takes effort.

You might hear someone say, “She's known for her bons mots” to describe a person who frequently makes these clever observations. The plural is bons mots (still pronounced “bone moe” with a soft “s” sound at the end). While you probably won't use this fancy French phrase every day, recognizing a good bon mot when you hear one means you're appreciating genuine wit.