
The Intensive Guide to French Alphabet Sounds You Didn’t Know You Needed
Got your lab coat?
We’ll be doing a little chemistry experiment with the French alphabet today.
Because when you get down to it, letters are like elements in the periodic table.
Each of them has certain properties. Some of them could be grouped together into categories.
You’ve got your semimetals in chemistry… and semi-vowels in the French alphabet.
Rare earths… and rare letters.
Halogens… and vowels—both very reactive.
Like chemicals, letters interact with each other in different ways when they combine.
They make distinct sounds on their own, but then may sound totally different when joined in a syllable or word.
The good news is that we don’t need any fancy lab equipment to learn the rules of French alphabet sounds.
So leave the beakers and Bunsen burners to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker and let’s get experimenting with French letters and their pronunciations.
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Is the French Alphabet That Different?
The French alphabet uses the same basic 26 letters as the English one. Both alphabets descended from the Latin alphabet.
However, these letters can sound a bit different in French, especially when they are pronounced at regular French speaking speed.
For example, in the French TV show called Dix pour cent (Ten Percent) or “Call My Agent!”, as it is known in English, the letters can sound quite foreign, especially because they are all blended together in quick speech.
Further, the French alphabet also gussies itself up with some fancy accoutrements:
- Diacritical marks (or “accent marks”)
- Ligatures (two sets of linked-together letters, æ and œ)
We’ll include the effect of these linguistic “power-ups” as we discuss the letters of the French alphabet and their sounds.
Then there are the actual names of the letters.
Even if you’re familiar with all the sounds that each French letter can make, you’ll still need to know the letter names.
Imagine calling ahead to your hotel in a remote French town. The concierge doesn’t speak English, and is having a terrible time grasping your surname. If you can’t spell it out in French over the phone before you arrive, they won’t be able to confirm your reservation—and you might be spending the night at la gare (the train station).
Being able to spell place names and street names will also come in handy while you travel.
Fun Tools to Memorize the French Alphabet
“La Chanson de l’Alphabet,” en Français (“The Alphabet Song,” in French)
“The Alphabet Song” isn’t just for kids. Music is a great way to learn a language, no matter how old you are.
There are several different versions of “The Alphabet Song” in French. Here’s one that uses the melody a lot of us learned in English.
A slightly peppier version, accompanied by folk guitar, can be found below.
If you want to get funkier with the French letters, try Alain Le Lait’s version. After the song is repeated twice through, there’s a “karaoke” section where you can recite it without Le Lait’s vocals.
A Is for “Apple,” “P” Is for Pomme
As we all learned while watching ads for a certain breakfast cereal, it’s easier to remember letters if you can link them to words you might already know.
The YouLearnFrench YouTube channel offers this short video with examples of words for each letter of the French alphabet.
OhlalaLingua performs the same service with this video, providing both an English and a Spanish translation for the French words.
The “Little Concepts: ABC French” board book presents a simple word for every letter of the French alphabet. “K comme Koala” (“K like Koala”) has a similar bilingual format, with an animal theme.
The Intensive Guide to French Alphabet Sounds You Didn’t Know You Needed
Let’s get down and party with the sounds of the French alphabet!
For each letter, we’ll give you the isolated French alphabet sound with a comparative English word or syllable.
We’ll also show you many different ways each letter can be pronounced with French words. We’ll use a combination of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and comparisons of the French letter sounds with similar English ones to get you in the right neighborhood to pronounce the French letters correctly.
The IPA spellings are based on the information in the “Collins” French-English Dictionary—you can also search specific words on their online dictionary to hear an audio pronunciation.
Got your lab coat on? Is your favorite version of the French “Alphabet Song” playing in the background? Excellent! We’re ready to begin.
A (Sounds Like “Ah”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Grave (à)
- Circumflex (â)
- Æ/æ
Pronunciation/Examples
The French A by itself produces two main sounds: “ah” (as in the American English pronunciation of father) and a sound like the “a” in the English word act.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
abeille | abɛj | bee |
abri | abʀi | shelter |
acte | akt | act |
affaire | afɛʀ | business |
à | a | in, to |
là-bas | laba | there |
au-delà | od(ə)la | beyond |
âge | ɑʒ | age, period of time (epoch) |
hâter | ɑte | to hasten |
pâte | pɑt | pastry |
As noted above, the letter A can also be part of the ligature æ in French, although you probably wouldn’t run into it much outside of medical terminology or studies of antiquity.
This ligature is primarily used for Latin or Greek words, like Æthuse (one of Poseidon’s daughters, in Greek mythology).
B (Sounds Like “Bay”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
B in French is fairly straightforward. It sounds much like the letter “b” in English words like bank, boat and beauty.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
banque | bɑ̃k | bank, banking |
bateau | bato | boat |
beauté | bote | beauty |
branche | bʀɑ̃ʃ | branch, stick |
C (Sounds Like “Say”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Cedilla (ç)
Pronunciation/Examples
The letter C in French can be pronounced as a hard consonant (like the start of the English words cat and can) but can also produce a soft sound (as in the English words cent and cinema).
To help you memorize these consonant sounds, we’ve grouped them together before giving you example words like we did above.
French Syllable | “C” Is Pronounced Like… |
-ce | S |
-ci | |
-cy | |
-ca | K |
-co | |
-cu | |
-ça | S |
-ço | |
-çu |
The sound of a “c” next to an “a,” “o” or “u” can be changed by a diacritical mark known as a cedille (cedilla).
It’s the little squiggly goatee-looking accent mark that sits right under the “chin” of the letter. With the cedilla, this consonant is pronounced like an English “s.”
Now for some example words:
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
cent | sɑ̃ | hundred |
cochon | kɔʃɔ̃ | pig |
français | fʀɑ̃sɛ | French |
reçu | ʀ(ə)sy | received |
D (Sounds Like “Day”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
D in French is pronounced basically the same as in English. The pronunciation of this letter doesn’t vary much, except it may be silent at the end of certain words (especially those with an -ard ending).
Liaison rules may cause a final “d” to sound like a “t” in front of a word starting with a vowel, such as in the phrase quand il arrive (when he arrives).
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
d’accord | dakɔʀ | okay |
dingue | dɛ̃ɡ | crazy (slang word) |
défait | defɛ | haggard, ravaged (describing face) |
bâtard | bɑtaʀ | illegitimate child; mongrel |
E (Sounds Like “Euh”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Grave (è)
- Acute (é)
- Circumflex (ê)
- Diaeresis (ë)
Pronunciation/Examples
E in French is very versatile. Depending on its diacritical marks or neighboring letters, it can produce a variety of sounds. Here are some of the most simple combinations:
French Letter Combination(s) | “E” Is Pronounced Like… |
é, -et, -er, er- | ay (as in “say”) |
-et, –è, ê, -ë, -ept | eh (as in “set”) |
-e (as in le/me/te/se) | uh (as in “the,” when said quickly in front of another word |
Here’s une double poignée (a double fistful) of French words that demonstrate various basic E sounds:
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
erreur | eʀœʀ | error |
leçon | l(ə)sɔ̃ | lesson |
sept | sɛt | seven |
détacher | detaʃe | to remove, to untie |
ballet | balɛ | ballet |
grève | ɡʀɛv | strike |
branché | bʀɑ̃ʃe | trendy |
café | kafe | coffee; coffeehouse |
bête | bɛt | animal, beast; stupid, silly |
Noël | nɔɛl | Christmas |
F (Sounds Like “Eff”)
This letter’s name is pronounced very similarly to English, except with a tighter vowel sound. Here are some recordings of native speakers saying the letter.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
The letter F is pronounced in French words much like it is in English words. Its pronunciation isn’t affected by neighboring letters.
Except when it’s at the beginning of the word, you’ll often see this letter alongside its identical twin in French.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
offrir | ɔfʀiʀ | to offer |
affluence | aflyɑ̃s | crowds |
efficace | efikas | effective |
faire | fɛʀ | to make, to do |
G (Sounds Like “Zjay”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
Like C, G can be pronounced “hard” or “soft,” depending on which vowel follows it in a word.
Here are a few examples of this letter with different neighboring vowels:
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
élégant | eleɡɑ̃ | elegant, courteous, civilized |
girafe | ʒiʀaf | giraffe |
gentil | ʒɑ̃ti | nice, kind |
golf | ɡɔlf | golf |
guerre | ɡɛʀ | war |
H (Sounds Like “Ahsh”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
H in French is, essentially, a silent letter. That is to say, it’s never pronounced.
That said, French makes a distinction between H when it’s treated like a vowel (H muet, or “muted H”) or a consonant (H aspiré, or “aspirated H”).
If a nouns starts with an “h,” you can tell whether it’s muted or aspirated based on whether its definite article forms a contraction with the noun.
There’s no real rhyme or reason to whether an “h” in French is considered muet (mute) or aspiré (aspirated). You basically have to grit your teeth and learn this by rote, on a word-by-word basis.
French Word (with Article) | IPA | English Translation |
l’hiver | livɛʁ | (the) winter |
l’heure | lœʁ | (the) hour |
l’histoire | listwaʀ | (the) story |
le hasard | lə azaʀ | (the) chance |
le haricot | lə aʀiko | (the) bean |
la honte | la ɔ̃t | (the) shame |
I (Sounds Like “Ee”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Dieresis (ï)
- Circumflex (î)
Pronunciation/Examples
The pronunciation of I in French stays fairly consistent, producing a sound like “ee” in English, even when sporting a circumflex or dieresis. The exceptions are when an “i” is combined with another vowel, or followed by an “m” or “n” at the end of a syllable.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
pitié | pitje | pity |
cinéma | sinema | movie theater |
pimbêche | pɛ̃bɛʃ | stuck up |
fin | fɛ̃ | end |
île | il | island |
abîmer | abime | to damage, to ruin, to spoil |
Loïc | lɔik | Breton form of the name Louis |
naïf | naif | naive |
J (Sounds Like Zjee”)
The French name for J sounds more like G’s letter name in English, and vice versa.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
J in French consistently has a “zh” sound—regardless of its surrounding letters, or where it appears in the word.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
jabot | ʒabo | pleated lace or cloth attached to the front of a blouse |
jeter | ʒ(ə)te | to throw |
jiu-jitsu | ʒjyʒitsy | a Japanese martial art |
journal | ʒuʀnal | newspaper |
jubilé | ʒybile | jubilee |
K (Sounds Like “Kah”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
K is pronounced essentially the same in French as it is in English. Its pronunciation in French doesn’t vary.
This letter is actually primarily used in loan words in French. The K section in a French dictionary doesn’t take up a lot of real estate.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
kaki | kaki | khaki [adjective] |
kératine | keʀatin | keratin |
kérosène | keʀozɛn | jet fuel; rocket fuel |
kilo | kilo | kilo |
koala | kɔala | koala bear |
kumquat | kɔmkwat | kumquat |
L (Sounds Like “Ell”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
A single letter “l” is pronounced in French just like in English. When doubled, however, “ll” assumes an evil twin-type nature, taking on a different pronunciation in certain cases.
That’s because “ll” in French sometimes has a sound like an English “y,” especially when immediately preceded by an “i.” It’s also part of many semi-vowel combinations, which involve various vowel-consonant formations like the -ouille of grenouille (frog) or the -euille of feuilleter (to leaf through).
But then, sometimes, “ll” is pronounced just as a regular, single “l.” Unfortunately, you’ll need to memorize the list of words where that sound occurs. (If you don’t wish to commit all 25 words to memory, try to pick out the ones you think you’ll encounter the most frequently.)
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
allô | alo | hello |
laver | lave | to wash |
lentement | lɑ̃tmɑ̃ | slowly |
libre | libʀ | free |
local | lɔkal | local |
lucarne | lykaʀn | skylight |
oreille | ɔʀɛj | eye |
feuille | fœj | leaf, sheet (of paper) |
ville | vil | town, city |
M (Sounds Like “Em”)
Again, this letter’s name is pronounced similarly to English, but with a tighter vowel sound. Take a listen here.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
The French M can behave differently when preceded by certain vowels in particular situations.
Along with the letter N below, M in French can sometimes nasalize a vowel, meaning air passes through the nose and mouth when pronounced. When the vowel is nasalized, so is the “m” that follows it.
When not in a nasalizing position, this letter behaves much as it does in English.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
flambeau | flɑ̃bo | flaming torch |
temps | tɑ̃ | weather, time |
ombre | ɔ̃bʀ | shade, shadow |
cambiste | kɑ̃bist | foreign exchange dealer |
emotionné | emosjɔne | worked up, emotional |
mécanique | mekanik | mechanical |
magnifique | maɲifik | magnificent |
musicalité | myzikalite | musicality |
N (Sounds Like “En”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
This French letter’s biggest claim to fame is its ability to nasalize vowels, like its next-door voisin (neighbor), M.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
an | ɑ̃ | year |
en | ɑ̃ | in; to; by; made of |
lapin | lapɛ̃ | rabbit |
on | ɔ̃ | one; you; we; they; he/she [impersonal pronoun] |
un | œ̃ | indefinite article; one (of something) |
lynx | lɛ̃ks | lynx |
nouvel | nuvo | new |
nuage | nɥaʒ | cloud |
nager | naʒe | to swim |
Nil | nil | the River Nile |
négation | neɡasjɔ̃ | denial, negation |
O (Sounds Like “Oh”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Circumflex (ô)
- Œ/œ
Pronunciation/Examples
The French O is pronounced differently based on the letters surrounding it. Here are several examples.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
rôti | ʀoti | roast (as in pot roast) |
hôpital | ɔpital | hospital |
hop | ɔp | exclamation; similar to “bingo!” or “bam!” |
ordre | ɔʀdʀ | order |
obliger | ɔbliʒe | to oblige; to force someone to do something |
octogone | ɔktɔɡɔn | octagon; may refer to France’s geographic shape, or France itself |
œdipe | edip | Oedipus |
sœur | sœʀ | sister |
vœu | vø | wish |
P (Sounds Like “Pay”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
P in French functions much like P in English. The only major difference is that the French P is sometimes pronounced, albeit lightly, in cases where it would be silent in English.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
pneu | pnø | tire (compare pneu in French to “pneumatic” in English) |
psychologue | psikɔlɔɡ | psychologist |
pantalon | pɑ̃talɔ̃ | pair of pants/trousers |
peau | po | skin |
placide | plasid | calm, placid |
Q (Sounds Like “Coo”)
Well… it sort of sounds like “coo,” if you tightly puckered your lips while saying it. Here’s how native speakers do it.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
A limited number of words begin with the letter Q in French. Most of them begin with “qu-,” which is normally pronounced like an English “k.”
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
qualité | kalite | quality |
quad | kwad | All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), sometimes called a “quad bike” |
quand | kɑ̃ | when |
que | kə | that, so that |
lequel | ləkɛl | which, which one, whom |
qui | ki | who, whom, that, which |
quotidien | kɔtidjɛ̃ | daily, everyday |
R (Sounds Like “Air”)
Again, this is a very approximate phonetic spelling. Try clearing your throat slightly to stimulate the uvular/guttural sound.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
The University of Texas at Austin presents a helpful page with audio files demonstrating lots of isolated examples of the French R within common words.
This letter can also be silent, usually at the ends of words. You may’ve already encountered many French verbs that end in -er with a silent “r” at the end, such as aller (to go) below.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
arrêt | aʀɛ | stop, stopping |
marron | maʀɔ̃ | chestnut, brown |
rabais | ʀabɛ | discount, reduction |
réactif | ʀeaktif | reagent (in Chemistry) |
riche | ʀiʃ | rich, wealthy |
robe | ʀɔb | dress, robe, gown |
ruban | ʀybɑ̃ | ribbon, binding, tape |
aller | ale | to go |
noter | nɔte | to note, to write down, to notice |
hiver | ivɛʀ | winter |
prendre | pʀɑ̃dʀ | to take |
notre | nɔtʀ | our (possessive) |
kidnappeur | kidnapœʀ | kidnapper |
amour | amuʀ | love |
fier | fjɛʀ | proud |
S (Sounds Like “Ess”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
At the start of a word, this letter sounds pretty much as it would in English.
In the middle of a word, a single “s” makes a “zzz” sound, and “ss” sounds like “ess” in English.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
salut | saly | hello/goodbye (as an exclamation) |
sérénade | seʀenad | serenade |
soleil | sɔlɛj | sun |
suave | sɥav | smooth, suave, mellow |
situation | sitɥasjɔ̃ | situation |
divers | divɛʀ | various, different, diverse |
poison | pwazɔ̃ | poison |
poisson | pwasɔ̃ | fish |
T (Sounds Like “Tay”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
T is often silent at the end of words, unless a liaison must be made.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
table | tabl | table |
techno | tɛkno | techno (music) |
tocade | tɔkad | fad; passing fancy |
type | tip | type, kind; guy, bloke |
vachement | vaʃmɑ̃ | really (informal) |
chalet | alɛ | chalet (Alpine-style house) |
inquiet | ɛ̃kjɛ | anxious, worried (masculine form) |
U (Sounds Like “Oo”)
Okay, this letter is actually a lot harder to say than “oo” in English. It’s so difficult for native English speakers we wrote an entire article on it.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Grave (ù)
- Circumflex (û)
- Dieresis (ü)
Pronunciation/Examples
Without the presence of other vowels, the letter U in French is like the English exclamation “eww,” said with a very tight pucker.
This letter can combine with a “q” (as qu-) to make a “k” sound (and sometimes a “w” sound).
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
ultime | yltim | last, final |
ubac | ybak | north-facing slope |
université | ynivɛʀsite | university |
cube | kyb | cube |
nous | nu | we, us |
ou | u | or |
où | u | where |
feu | fø | fire |
aussi | osi | also |
Emmaüs | emaus | Emmaus (place name) |
fût | fy | barrel, cask |
V (Sounds Like “Vay”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
V in French sounds almost the same as in English.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
vache | vaʃ | cow |
vecteur | vɛktœʀ | vector |
vie | vi | life |
vrai | vʀɛ | true |
W (Sounds Like Double V)
Whereas we call this letter “double U,” the French call it “double V.”
Double in French is pronounced somewhat like a cross between the English words dubious and double.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
Used somewhat infrequently, W is primarily found in loanwords.
It’s nearly always pronounced as a “w” (as in English), with the exception of the word wagon (and related words) where it’s pronounced like a “v.”
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
wagon-lit | vaɡɔ̃li | sleeping car; sleeper |
water-polo | watɛʀpɔlo | water polo |
waters | watɛʀ | toilet (derived from W.C., “water closet”) |
week-end | wikɛnd | weekend |
western | wɛstɛʀn | Western (film genre) |
whiskey | wiski | whiskey |
X (Sounds Like “Ex”)
Pronounced like “eeks” in English—or think of the word leeks without the first letter.
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
If W is sparse in French, X is practically nonexistent.
Words beginning with an “x” in French start with a combined “ks-” or “gz-” sound.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
xénophobie | ɡzenɔfɔbi | xenophobia |
xylophone | ɡzilɔfɔn | xylophone |
Y (Sounds Like “Eegrek”)
A mnemonic for this French letter name is that it’s similar to the word egret in English, only its final syllable ends in “grec” (like Greco-Roman).
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- Diaeresis (ÿ)
Pronunciation/Examples
Just like in English, the letter Y is sometimes considered a consonant in French and sometimes a vowel.
Spotting a “y” with a diaeresis is about as rare as a sighting of the Abominable Snowman. One good example is in the place name L’Haÿ-les-Roses, a small town outside of Paris that dates back to the time of Charlemagne.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
stylisme | stilism | fashion design |
sympa | sɛ̃pa | nice, friendly |
symbole | sɛ̃bɔl | symbol |
yeux | jø | eyes |
yoga | jɔɡa | yoga |
yaourt | jauʀt | yogurt |
Z (Sounds Like “Zed”)
Diacritical Marks/Ligatures
- None
Pronunciation/Examples
The entry for Z in my French dictionary takes up less than two pages.
The pronunciation doesn’t really waver from the same “zzz” sound found in English, made by the sleepy or the buzz of bees.
French Word | IPA | English Translation |
zèbre | zɛbʀ | zebra |
zeste | zɛst | zest, as in lemon |
zigzag | ziɡzaɡ | zigzag |
zone | zon | zone, area |
Now that you know your French alphabet sounds from A to Z, you’ve got the tools in your language lab to be a savant fou (mad scientist) of French words.
Don’t hesitate to get out there and start experimenting with your own chemical-linguistic compounds à la française (in the French style).
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)