French Pronunciation
Master French pronunciation with our comprehensive guide. Learn the sounds, rules, and techniques to speak French like a native.
French Vowel Sounds
French has unique vowel sounds that don’t exist in English:
Basic Vowel Sounds
Essential French vowel pronunciations
Nasal Sounds
French nasal sounds are unique and important to master:
Common Words Practice
Practice pronunciation with common French words:
Basic Words
Colors
Pronunciation Rules
Important rules to remember when pronouncing French words:
Silent Letters
Many French letters are silent, especially at the end of words. For example, in "parler" (to speak), the final "r" is silent.
Liaison
When a word ending in a consonant is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, the consonant is pronounced. For example, "les amis" sounds like "lez ami".
Accent Marks
Accent marks change pronunciation. For example, "é" is pronounced like "ay" in "say", while "è" is pronounced like "eh" in "bed".
Letter Combinations
French letters rarely sound the way they look alone. These pairs and trios each make one predictable sound — learn them and most new words become readable on sight.
ai / ei
Sound: eh
au / eau
Sound: oh
ou
Sound: oo
oi
Sound: wah
eu / œu
Sound: uh
ch
Sound: sh
gn
Sound: ny
qu
Sound: k
ill
Sound: ee-y
th
Sound: t
ç
Sound: s
h
Sound: —
Two kinds of H: the h muet allows liaison and elision (l'heure), while the rarer h aspiré blocks both (le héros).
Silent Letters
French drops far more letters than it pronounces. As a rule, a final consonant is silent unless it is C, R, F or L — remember it as the word CaReFuL.