The sounds of French
French pronunciation has a reputation for being difficult, and it's true that spelling doesn't always obviously indicate sound. However, the rules are remarkably consistent once you learn them. French has specific sounds that don't exist in English — nasal vowels, the French "r", and the "u" sound — but these can be mastered with practice. The key is understanding that silent letters and liaisons (connecting sounds between words) follow predictable patterns.
The alphabet
French uses the Latin alphabet with the same 26 letters as English, plus several accented characters (é, è, ê, ë, à, â, ù, û, ô, î, ï, ç). These accents aren't decorative — they change pronunciation or distinguish between words. The letter "h" is always silent:
| Letter | Name | Approximate sound |
|---|---|---|
| A | ah | like "a" in "father" |
| B | bé | like English "b" |
| C | cé | "s" before e/i, "k" elsewhere |
| D | dé | like English "d" |
| E | euh | varies (see vowels) |
| F | effe | like English "f" |
| G | gé | "zh" before e/i, "g" elsewhere |
| H | ache | always silent |
| I | ee | like "ee" in "see" |
| J | ji | like "zh" in "measure" |
| K | ka | like English "k" |
| L | elle | like English "l" |
| M | emme | like English "m" |
| N | enne | like English "n" |
| O | oh | like "o" in "or" |
| P | pé | like English "p" |
| Q | ku | like "k" (always with "u") |
| R | erre | guttural, from the throat |
| S | esse | "z" between vowels, "s" elsewhere |
| T | té | like English "t" |
| U | u | round lips for "oo", say "ee" |
| V | vé | like English "v" |
| W | double vé | like "v" or "w" |
| X | iks | "ks" or "gz" or "s" |
| Y | i grec | like "ee" |
| Z | zède | like English "z" |
Accents and special characters
| Character | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu | closed "ay" sound |
| è, ê | accent grave, circonflexe | open "eh" sound |
| ë, ï, ü | tréma | vowels pronounced separately |
| ç | cédille | "c" pronounced as "s" |
| œ | o-e ligature | like "eu" |
| à, â, ù, û | various accents | distinguish meaning or pronunciation |
Vowels
French has more vowel sounds than English. Here are the main ones:
Oral vowels
| Sound | Spelling | Example | Pronunciation hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| /a/ | a, à | chat (cat) | like "a" in "father" |
| /e/ | é, er, ez | café | like "ay" in "day" |
| /ɛ/ | è, ê, e, ai | mère (mother) | like "e" in "bed" |
| /i/ | i, y | ici (here) | like "ee" in "see" |
| /o/ | o, ô, au, eau | beau (beautiful) | like "o" in "go" |
| /ɔ/ | o | porte (door) | like "o" in "or" |
| /u/ | ou | tout (all) | like "oo" in "moon" |
| /y/ | u | tu (you) | lips rounded for "oo", say "ee" |
| /ø/ | eu | peu (few) | lips rounded for "o", say "ay" |
| /œ/ | eu, œu | cœur (heart) | lips rounded for "o", say "e" |
| /ə/ | e | le (the) | unstressed "uh" |
Nasal vowels
These are pronounced through the nose. Let air flow through your nose, not just your mouth:
| Sound | Spelling | Example | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| /ɑ̃/ | an, am, en, em | France, temps | nasal "ah" |
| /ɛ̃/ | in, im, ain, ein | vin (wine) | nasal "eh" |
| /ɔ̃/ | on, om | bon (good) | nasal "o" |
| /œ̃/ | un, um | un (one) | nasal "uh" (merging with /ɛ̃/ in modern French) |
Consonants
Most consonants sound similar to English, with these key differences:
The French R
The French "r" is produced in the throat, almost like a light gargle. It's never rolled like Spanish or tapped like American English.
Silent consonants
Final consonants are usually silent:
- petit (small) = "puh-TEE"
- grand (big) = "grahn"
- vous (you) = "voo"
- français (French) = "frahn-SAY"
Exception: The letters C, R, F, L are often pronounced (remember: CaReFuL):
- avec (with) = "a-VEK"
- amour (love) = "a-MOOR"
Liaison
When a word ending in a usually silent consonant is followed by a word starting with a vowel, the consonant may be pronounced:
- les enfants (the children) = "lay-zahn-FAHN"
- vous avez (you have) = "voo-za-VAY"
- un ami (a friend) = "uh-na-MEE"
Important consonant combinations
| Combination | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ch | "sh" | chat (cat) |
| gn | "ny" | montagne (mountain) |
| qu | "k" | quatre (four) |
| ph | "f" | photo |
| th | "t" (not "th") | thé (tea) |
| tion | "see-on" | nation |
Syllable stress
French has very even stress compared to English. Each syllable gets roughly equal emphasis, with a slight lengthening of the final syllable of a phrase:
- Je ne comprends pas. — Equal stress on each syllable, slight emphasis on "pas"
Elision
When certain short words end in a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel or silent "h", the vowel is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe:
| Full form | Elided form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| le + ami | l'ami | the friend |
| je + ai | j'ai | I have |
| de + eau | d'eau | of water |
| ne + est | n'est | is not |
Practice words
| French | English | Phonetic hint |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello/Good day | bohn-ZHOOR |
| Merci | Thank you | mehr-SEE |
| S'il vous plaît | Please | seel voo PLAY |
| Au revoir | Goodbye | oh ruh-VWAR |
| Oui | Yes | wee |
| Non | No | nohn |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me | eks-kew-zay MWAH |