The key to master French pronunciation is to know which final consonantsNo definition set for consonantsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to pronounce or mute, to learn and differentiate diphthongsNo definition set for diphthongsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. from vowelsNo definition set for vowelsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and to do the right liaisons. There is much more to pronunciation, though, so keep reading!
Have you been saying or hearing [bon apayteet] for Bon appétit?! Let’s get this straight: final consonants in French are not pronounced! Well… at least 99 percent of the time! So before eating, [bo(n) apaytee] is the right thing to say!
French pronunciation is just like French grammar: it’s fascinating and full of exceptions! But rest assured, after reading this article you’ll be able to speak French with confidence.
Here is the plan of action: first, you’ll discover tips about so-called tricky letters, then we’ll get into the use of French accents, essential rules for liaisons, the standard and southern accents, and last but not least, French rhythm!
First tip before we start: make sure you can read this out loud, it’ll help!
Bonne lecture !
bon lehktur
There are many different French accents around the world, but since I’m French, I’ll explain the standard pronunciation from France.
There are also heaps of accents within France! I’m from southern France – where the accent is said to be chantant(singing), – so I’ll sometimes shed light on the difference between standard and southern French pronunciation.
Did you know that Parisian French is not the reference in French pronunciation? French from Tours is considered the most beautiful and pure form of French. Want to know more?
Check out this page to learn more about Tours, France!
Which letters are tricky to pronounce in French?
Tricky letters, like the vowel sounds "u," "ou," and "e," as well as the consonants "m," "c," "g," and "s," are part of what can make French pronunciation challenging for English speakers. An important element of French pronunciation is that the orthography (spelling) of words does not always match the pronunciation of those words. This means that, sometimes, a single written letter (like "e") can have multiple pronunciations. So, “written letters” (the letters used to represent a sound in writing) are not always the best guide for the actual sound that should be produced. In this section, we’ll review some of these confusing letters and their various sounds!
Just a heads up: I could write for hours about French pronunciation. However, I have only selected the most important rules you need to know to be understood, avoid confusion, and help you sound native.
I have also assumed you already know basic facts, like that not all letters are pronounced in French:
Il est gentil.
❌eel est jehnteel → ✅eel ay ja(n)tee
Are you wondering why? We’ll talk about this a bit later! Or, take a look at this handy explanation for how French letters are written versus how they are pronounced!
What is the difference between the French written letters ‘u’ and ‘ou’?
Here, we will focus on the difference between the written letters "u" and "ou," which produce the different sounds [u] and [oo]. Mispronouncing these written letters and confusing the sounds can sometimes lead to misunderstandings!
The letter "u" is always pronounced [u]. I usually tell my students to pronounce the letter "i" as [ee] with a round mouth, like when blowing a kiss.
The letter combination "ou" is always pronounced [oo] like in “boot.”
Beware of potential misunderstandings! Take a look:
What is the difference between the open and closed ‘e’?
Part of mastering French pronunciation is learning the difference between the “open e” [eh] and the “closed e” [ay] sounds. Sometimes, the two different sounds can be represented by the same written letters, like "ê." Take a look at the chart below to learn how to tell which "e" is which:
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"ai" or "ei"+ consonant + final "e" beige[behj](beige) "è"+ consonant + "e" grève[grehv](strike) "e"+ two consonants restes[rehst](leftovers) Imperfect, present conditional endings j’allais[jaleh](I was going) je ferais[feuhreh](I'd do)
| "ê" + consonant + "er" fêter[faytay](to party) Final "er" manger[ma(n)jay](to eat) -er, -es, -ez les[lay](the) chez[shay](at) Simple future endings je ferai[feuhray](I'll do)
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Now, if you were my student and asked me when to pronounce [eh] versus [ay], because I’m from the South of France, my answer would be different! Indeed, in the south, we pronounce most written "e"s like a closed e: [ay].
Southern Style Pronunciation! (Closed "e" sound [ay] where there would be an open "e" in standard French) |
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The final written "e" is not pronounced unless it has an accent ("é").
Il danse.
❌da(n)say → ✅da(n)s
→ The [ay] pronunciation is for il dansait.
The "s" of the plural form is silent too.
le coffre / les coffres
❌kofray → ✅kofr
How to pronounce the written letter ‘m’ in French?
Though the written letter "m" in French is often pronounced [m], the letters that come before or after the letter "m" can affect the pronunciation not just of "m" but also of other letter sounds. Here are the rules:
vowel + written "m" + vowel = vowel + [m] + vowel
written "e" in the middle of a word + written "mm" = [am]
femme(woman, wife) → [fam]
written "e"at the beginning of a word + written "mm" = [a(n)]
emmener(to bring along) → [a(n)meuhnay]
vowel + written "mb" = nasal vowel
Curious what “nasal” means in the last rule above? We’ll get to this later!
How to pronounce the written letters ‘c’ and ‘g’ in French?
There are two ways of pronouncing the written consonants "c" and "g" in French. Have you heard of hard and soft vowels? The French vowels "e," "i," "y," are seen as molles(soft), whereas "a," "o," "u" are seen as dures(hard). Let’s see the possible combinations of these vowels with the written letters "c" and "g":
written "c" + hard vowels (a, o, u) = [k]
written "c" + soft vowels (e, i, y) = [s]
written "g" + hard vowels (a, o, u) = [g]
written "g" + soft vowels (e, i, y) = [j]
When a written "c" is paired with a hard vowel (a, o, u), but it needs to sound like [s], we add a cedilla: "ç"
When written "g" is paired with a hard vowel (a, o, u), but it needs to sound like [j], we add a silent written "e" between the "g" and the vowel.
Watch out for these common mispronunciations: written "g" + "n" = [ny], not [gn]!
magnifique(wonderful)
❌[magneefeek]
✅[manyeefeek]
vignoble(vineyard)
❌[veegnobl]
✅[veenyobl]
How to pronounce the written letter ‘s’ in French?
Basically, the letter “s” is almost always pronounced the same way in French, unless it is between two vowels. Look at the sentences below, can you make out the rule?!
Mon fils a cassé son stylo dans le bus.
My son broke his pen on the bus.
Je déteste la valise que j’ai prise.
I hate the suitcase I bought.
Did you figure it out? Here is the rule:
A written "s" is pronounced as [s] 99 percent of the time. The letter "s" is said as [s] when it is at the beginning of a word, when it is doubled, when it is next to a consonant, and when it is at the end of a word when the final consonant is exceptionally pronounced. However, between two vowels a written "s" is pronounced [z].
la chaise(the chair) = [shehz]
Watch out for these common mistakes!
version(version)
❌[vehrzyo(n)]
✅[vehrsyo(n)]
observer(to observe)
❌[obzeuhrvay]
✅[opsehrvay]
→ A written "b" in front of a written "s" is pronounced [p]!
dessert(dessert)
❌[dayzehr] → this means “desert”!
✅[daysehr]
How to pronounce the written letters ‘ille’?
Most commonly you can follow just two rules to figure out the pronunciation of ille or ill.
When -ille appears at the end of a word, it is pronounced like the y sound in “happy.”
famille(family) → [fam-eey]
fille(girl) → [feey]
When ill- comes at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced like il, like it would be in English.
illusion(illusion) → [i-lu-zyo(n)]
Here are the common exceptions for which ille/ill at the end or middle of a word is pronounced like an il.
mille, million, milliard, millilitre
What are nasal sounds in French?
In French, nasal sounds include at least one vowel, and they are triggered by the written letters "n" and "m." Nasals are sounds that occur when a sound is produced through both the nose and mouth.
In French, unlike in English, nasal consonants like "n" and "m" often become “lost within” a vowel called a nasal vowel. The vowel goes through your nose, but the consonant itself is not completely pronounced. Grammarians call this “assimilation” because one sound becomes more similar to the other!
This “nasal assimilation” happens in two cases:
when vowel + "n" / "m" ends a word
when vowel + "n" / "m" is followed by another consonant
For example:
Un enfant achète vingt bonbons.
However, there are other cases when the "n" and "m" are clearly pronounced as actual consonants (just like in English). This happens:
when vowel + "n" / "m" is followed by another vowel in the same word
when the nasal consonant ("n" / "m") is doubled
Take a look at these tricky pairs:
→ doubled nasal consonant (nn)
What are nasalized diphthongs in French?
The nasalized diphthongs in French are ain, ein, and oin. A nasalized diphthong can come about when there is more than one vowel before an "n" or "m," and the nasal sound is “absorbed,” as in:
Les chevaux mangent plein de pain et de foin.
Horses eat a lot of bread and hay.
Generally, these diphthongs become nasal according to the same rules as normal vowels. In other words, the "n" or "m" is “absorbed” unless it comes between two vowels or the nasal consonant is doubled:
And as we saw with regular vowels in the previous section, when nasalized diphthongs are followed by a vowel, or when the "n" is doubled, they no longer are nasal. Here’s some examples:
Let’s now focus on consonant sounds.
How to pronounce final consonants in French?
To put it in a nutshell, we usually say final consonants should not be pronounced in French, but there is a little more to this. Although most final consonants are mute, there are several words that are exceptions to these mute final consonants, as well as several final consonant sounds which will almost always be pronounced. Let’s get into it!
What are the mute final consonants?
The mute final consonants in French typically are -d, -g, -m, -n, -p, -s, -t, -x, and -z, meaning that when one of these consonants is at the end of a word, it is not pronounced. Easy, right?!
Can you spot the mute final consonants in the sentence below?
Il fait chaud chez moi, tu ne trouves pas ?
It’s hot in my house, don’t you think?
Here are some common exceptions in which the typically mute final consonants are pronounced.
Also, the last consonants of foreign words are pronounced, as in their original language.
What are the pronounced final consonants?
The final consonants in French that are often pronounced are -b, -c, -f, -k, -l, -q, and -r.
When one of these consonants is at the end of a word, it is pronounced:
Le truc avec le fil rouge.(The thingy with the red thread.)
Here are some common exceptions in which the typically pronounced final consonants are mute. In the following words, the final consonant(s) is/are not pronounced:
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any word where the final r follows e except for… |
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Watch out for these common mistakes with -ent!
When a verb ends in -ent, this last syllable is mute.
When a non-verb ends in -ent, it is pronounced [a(n)].
aimaient is a verb
✅[aymeh]❌[aymaya(n)]
vent is not a verb
✅[va(n)]❌[veh]
Ils prenaient souvent le train.
They often took the train.
prenaient is a verb
✅[preuhnay]❌[preuhnaya(n)]
vent is not a verb
✅[soova(n)]❌[soov]
How to pronounce the final consonants of ‘tous’ and ‘plus’?
The final consonants of the French words tous and plus can be either mute or pronounced, depending on the word’s position in the sentence, its meaning, or the words that follow it. Let’s take a look at each case.
How to pronounce ‘tous’?
Tous(all of them, all) can be pronounced as [toos] or too in French, depending on the grammatical function of tous in the sentence.
When tous(everyone, all of them) is used as a masculine, plural indefinite pronoun, the final "s" must be pronounced ([toos]).
When tous(all) is followed by a masculine, plural noun, it is an indefinite adjective and the final "s" is not pronounced ([too]). Let’s take a look:
| | Nous sommes tous ensemble. → don’t forget the liaison here! |
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Indefinite adjective A good way to remember to not pronounce the final “s” is that indefinite adjectives will always be followed by a noun! | | Elle s’entraîne tou(s) les jours. |
On a classé tou(s) les documents. We have filed all the documents. |
Tou(s) les hommes portaient un costume. |
How to pronounce ‘plus’ in French?
Plus can be pronounced [plu], [plus], and [pluz] depending on its meaning and its position in the sentence. Usually, plus is pronounced [pluz] when followed by a vowel and [plu] when followed by a consonant. However, when plus is used as a negation adverb, it is always pronounced as [plu]. Let’s have a look at the different pronunciation possibilities for plus:
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to add a piece of information | | |
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in the expression plus…, plus…(the more…, the more…) | | |
| …plus je suis contente ! plu |
| | We’re no longer sleeping. |
Plus can be a source of confusion when speaking, so you want to make sure you get the pronunciation right! There are the two possible meanings for the sentence below, so, to avoid confusion, you can exceptionally pronounce the s of plus when you mean to say “more,” even though drôle begins with a consonant: [plus drol].
Il est plus drôle. (two meanings!)
… [plus] + drôle. = He is funnier.
… [plu] + drôle. = He is no longer funny.
In the second interpretation, ne has been omitted. Unless plus is pronounced differently between the two, it is impossible to decipher the meaning. Since the negative plus will always be [plu], plus in “He is funnier” should be pronounced plus.
What is liaison in French?
Liaisons create harmony in French by linking sounds through connecting a final mute consonant of a word with the first letter of the following word. Liaison only takes place when the first letter of the second word is a vowel or a mute "h." By following a couple of essential rules, you can improve your French.
Here are some of the most important rules for liaisons in French:
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subject pronoun + verb Vous avez un chat et nous avons un chien. You have a cat and we have a dog. determiner + noun Les enfants, vos amis sont arrivés ! Children, your friends have arrived! Un été, j’ai voyagé à Paris. One summer, I traveled to Paris. adjective + noun Nos belles amies arrivent aujourd’hui. Our beautiful friends arrive today.
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a noun + verb Vous avez un chat et nous avons un chien. You have a cat and we have a dog. after et(and) Juliette et / Emma sont sœurs. Juliette and Emma are sisters. before an aspirated "h" Les / haricots verts sont prêts à manger. The green beans are ready to eat. verb + anything Ils ont / un chat orange.
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Remember, in the rules above, the pronouns, determiners, and adjectives must end in a mute final consonant and be followed by a verb/noun/pronoun/etc. that begins with a vowel or mute "h" for a liaison to be necessary! If you feel confident with the rules above, check here to make sure you know the other important rules.
Earlier I noted that liaisons are formed between final mute consonants and a following word beginning with a vowel or a mute "h." Conversely, no liaison is allowed between mute final consonants and words beginning with an aspirated "h." What does this mean? Let’s have a look at words starting with "h."
What is an ‘h aspiré’ versus an ‘h muet’ in French?
Words beginning with h muet(mute h) in French will form a liaison in the contexts above, but words that start with h aspiré(aspirated h) do not form liaisons. Most of the time, words beginning with "h" in French use a mute "h." However, there are exceptions (words with aspirated "h"s), and if you form an unexpected liaison, it will sound disturbing for us native speakers!
Il y a un hôtel sympa en / haut de la rue.
There is a congenial hotel up the street.
the "h" in hotel is muet, hence the liaison
the "h" in haut is aspiré, which means no liaison is possible
Also, if words can be misunderstood, the rule can change! For example, les héroïnes(the female heroes, heroines) needs a liaison because the "h" is mute, but the "h" becomes aspiré for the masculine form (les héros). Wondering why?! If you do a liaison with les héros(the heroes), it will sound like les zéros(the zeroes)!
If you are interested in improving your fluency, check out our article about French rhythm!
We’ve seen how liaison in French links the end and beginning of two words together, but what about how words and sentences flow together to create melody? Before we wrap up, let’s look at how rhythm works in French!
How does French pronunciation affect melody and rhythm?
French pronunciation generally does not assign stress to any one syllable in a word, which lends a quite monotonous melody and rhythm to the language. Let me show you what French and English would look like if we could see them:
Ok… I’m slightly exaggerating, but it gives you an idea of what your rhythm should “look like” when speaking French. A tool that will help your French rhythm is an understanding of phonetic syllablesNo definition set for phonetic syllablesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
A phonetic syllable is a syllableNo definition set for syllableLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that is pronounced in French.
Let’s take the word française(French). While you can count what looks like three syllables:
you only pronounce two:
So, how do phonetic syllables affect melody?
French can sound a bit flat, since we don’t have stressed syllables. The only thing you need to remember, when it comes to melody, is to slightly lengthen the last phonetic syllable of a word, group of words, or sentence. Take a look (the underlined syllables are stressed):
J’espère que tout cela est clair pour vous … et que vous avez appris plein de choses !
I hope everything is clear for you … and that you have learned a lot of things!
Another way you can use your knowledge of phonetic syllables to help with your pronunciation and melody is to skip the pronunciation of an "e" before the last phonetic syllable in a word:
Fais-le rapidement !
rapeed_ma(n)
However, when the "e" is preceded by two audible consonants, this rule does not apply:
You can of course play with intonations like these above to convey different feelings, but it is ultimately down to personal choice. However, for questions formed as affirmative sentences with a question mark, the last phonetic syllable needs to be pronounced at a higher pitch.
Are you leaving on Friday?
How to emphasize words and syllables by adding stress in French?
Because French does not assign stress to specific syllables or words, adding stress where it does not naturally appear is a good way to emphasize a word or syllable to make a point. Here are a few ways that French speakers emphasize something to draw attention to it:
Use stressed pronouns
When in English, you can say, “YOU mentioned it,” in French, it would sound weird to say, TU en as parlé. We’d use stressed pronouns instead:
C’est toi qui en as parlé.
YOU mentioned it.
(lit.) It is you who talked about it.
Pausing between syllables (jerky rhythm)
When we describe something and want to emphasize a particular aspect, we generally pause between syllables of the key word of a sentence (usually, adjectives). This way, the feelings and meanings conveyed by this word are doubled – or more if we add facial expression! The equivalent in English would be to lengthen a syllable that is supposed to be stressed.
Place stress on the first syllable
Alternatively, we could also stress and lengthen the first syllable of a word.
C’était vraiment MAgnifique !
It was truly woooonnnderful!
We could also choose to stress the adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
C’était VRAIment magnifique !
It was truuuuly wonderful!
What is ‘l’enchaînement’ in French?
L’enchaînement(linking) is the process of linking vowels together or linking vowels and consonants within words and between words in a sentence. It is l’enchaînement which makes it difficult to discern when each word starts and stops.
How to link vowels in French?
Vowels in French sentences flow together, with few pauses between sounds. Are you ready to sing?! Whether you are amazing at singing or you sing comme une casserole(like a drowning cat→ [lit.] like a saucepan), imagine you are playing your scales when speaking in French. Visually, it is like a continuous thread, there is no pause or break between each syllable:
So, instead of pronouncing the sentence like Tu. as. eu. une. amende. (with each “.” being a pause), the sentence flows together: Tu-as-eu-une amende.
How to link consonants to vowels in French?
Link consonants to vowels in French by starting a word with the last consonant of the previous one, instead of separating words by pausing (even ever so slightly).
Il y a une [forte amitié] [entre elles].
There is a strong friendship between them.
forte amitié = [fortameetyay]
entre elles = [a(n)trehl]
I’m going to show you what the new syllable breakdown would be if you read this sentence slowly:
I·ly·ya·une·for·ta·mi·tié·en·trelles
What are some common informal pronunciations in French?
There are also some common pronunciation patterns in French that are more informal and used when speaking, especially when speaking quickly. For example, many speakers cut out the e in the middle of words and rhythmic groups. These groups are combinations of grammatical units. A couple of famous cases are j’suis(I am) and j’sais pas(I don’t know), which can also be spelled chui and chais pas!
Grammatical unit losing e | | |
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| un petit tour(a short walk) | |
| | j’demand’rai / je d’mand’rai |
| beaucoup de personnes(a lot of people) | |
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Did you notice above that the subject pronoun je became j’? Yes, that’s right! Subject pronouns can be even shorter than they already are! However, keep in mind it is quite informal. Check the table below to see how this works.
With a verb starting with a vowel ex: AVOIR | With a verb starting with a consonant ex: PASSER |
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| nous passons → (unchanged) |
| vous passez → (unchanged) |
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| elles passent → (unchanged) |
In brief: Golden rules to French pronunciation
When trying to improve your pronunciation in French, keep the tips we’ve shared in this article in mind!
Generally, don’t pronounce final consonants and learn the common exceptions.
Final "e" is not pronounced, even followed by an "s."
The plural form of verbs -ent is mute.
Remember to form a liaison when the first word ends in a mute final consonant and the following word begins with a vowel or h muet
Remember at least the two most common liaisons: subject pronoun + verb and article + verb
When speaking, lengthen (don’t pronounce louder) the last phonetic syllable.
Make your speech vibrant by insisting on specific words by pausing between each syllable or lengthening the first one.
Link words without pausing after and before. Picture sentences like a long yarn.
I hope all these tips will help you speak French with confidence! If you feel like a challenge, have a look at the trickiest French words to pronounce! And before you venture out and speak French to someone, why not practice your French pronunciation with our exercises first?
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