Note that, in French, the accent on the final 'e' doesn't indicate stress.

I read this and still have no idea if the words should be pronounced differently. I got lost in all the talk of classes and people being pretentious.

@sumelic OK but, really, the difference between "fiancé" and "fiance" is that the accent causes the final "e" to be pronounced, rather than silent.

@JPhi1618 Did you read the first sentence? Could it use more emphasis?

@BenKovitz Now that I read just the first sentence, I see you're saying that they are pronounced the same, but it is a bit ambiguous. On the first read, it seemed to say "some people pronounce them the same and other people pronounce them differently". The section after the dash seems to complete the idea and the set of people in the first part, but really, its a totally different thought.

@JPhi1618 Thanks. I just added a couple sentences to the first paragraph. Hopefully the answer is clear now. Of course, the opening sentence is meant to throw you for a moment. It's a sort of teaser for the long tangent that makes up the rest of the answer, playing on the ambiguity of "the same" (within speakers vs. between speakers).

I don't get how a rant about class and pretentiousness answers the question.

@jwg good thing this answer's not that, then :)

@jwg Two questions: (1) Did you read the first paragraph? (2) What gives you the impression that the answer is a rant?

Like every other word in French, the stress on fiancé in French is on the last syllable and the é is silent. And by the way, uneducated people usually do not use the word at all in AmE. It's not exactly a working class word.

@BenKovitz (1) Did you read the second and third paragraphs? (2) Did you read the second and third paragraphs?

@jwg Could you explain what makes it seem like a rant? I intended it as an explanation of why there are multiple spellings and pronunciations, their different levels of authority and status, weird social stuff that's not documented in dictionaries and that an ESL learner might never guess without a lot of exposure, and the sorts of pressures that affect spelling and pronunciation in English. No sarcasm, please. If you point out something specific that gives the answer a rant-like tone, I might be able to fix it.

@BenKovitz Since you ask, I found it to be a) sneering in tone, b) prejudiced, c) speculative and d) unnecessary.

@Lambie If you scroll through here a few pages, you'll find plenty of working-class examples. Many even include the accented é. If you remove the "-90" from the search, you'll get a lot of clips from a reality show called "90-Day Fiancé".

@jwg Could you tell me specifically what makes it seem sneering in tone? If the topic itself triggers something in you to go on the offensive regardless of what's said or how it's said, then I can't fix that. Some people get that way when social status is talked about plainly. But if you can point out some specific wording that creates such a tone, I might be able to find a better rewording. I was able to make use of JPhi1618's comments above.

@BenKovitz Sorry, I don't want to do that. Good luck rewording it (if you choose to) anyway.