The word "goudreau" is a French surname that is pronounced as "ɡuːdroʊ". It is spelled with an "o" instead of a "u" in its first syllable due to the French language's usage of diacritical marks to distinguish between vowel sounds. The "ou" in "goudreau" is pronounced as a single sound, similar to the "oo" in "food". The final "x" in some variations of the surname, such as "Goudreaux", is silent in French pronunciation, making it sound like "ɡuːdroʊ".