In this article, you will:
- discover all the sounds in French
- the consonants in French
- the vowels in French
- the nasal vowels in French
This article will help you answer the following questions:
- How to learn all the sounds in French?
- How to master the sounds in French?
- How to improve your pronunciation in French?
The consonants in French:
/b/
The sound /b/ which is represented by the letter (b) at the beginning of a word as in "bateau" or in the middle of a word as in "abeille".
/d/
The sound /d/ represented by the letter (d) at the beginning of a word as in "domino" or in the middle of a word as in "addition".
/f/
The sound /f/ represented by the letter (f) as in "fleur" or by (ph) as in "téléphone".
/g/
The sound /g/ represented by the letter (g) at the beginning of a word as in "gâteau".
/k/
The sound /k/ represented by the letters (c, k, qu) as in "clé", "kilo", "aquarium".
/l/
The sound /l/ represented by the letter (l) at the beginning of a word as in "lion" or at the end of a word as in "sol".
/m/
The sound /m/ represented by the letter (m) at the beginning of a word as in "maison" or in the middle of a word as in "femme".
/n/
The sound /n/ represented by the letter (n) at the beginning of a word as in "neige" or in the middle of a word as in "tonnerre".
/ɲ/
The sound /ɲ/ represented by the combination of letters (gn) as in “gnou” or in "oignon".
/p/
The sound /p/ represented by the letter (p) at the beginning of a word as in "pomme" or in the middle of a word as in "groupe".
/ʁ/
The sound /ʁ/ represented by the letter (r) at the beginning of a word as in "rouge" or in the middle of a word as in "carré".
/s/
The sound /s/ represented by the letters (s, ss) as in "soleil", "poisson", or by the letters (sc) as in "scie" or by the c cédille (ç) as in “ça”. But also in the combination of letters (ti) in certain words as in “attention”
/ʃ/
The sound /ʃ/ represented by the combination (ch) as in "chapeau" or by the combination of letters (sh) as in "shampooing"
/t/
The sound /t/ represented by the letter (t) at the beginning of a word as in "table" or in the middle of a word as in “château”.
/v/
The sound /v/ represented by the letter (v) at the beginning of a word as in "voiture" or (w) as in "wagon".
/z/
The sound /z/ represented by the letter (z) at the beginning of a word as in "zèbre" or by (s) in the middle of a word as in "rose".
/ʒ/
The sound /ʒ/ represented by the letter (j) at the beginning of a word as in "journal" or by the letter (g) before an (i), an (e) or a (y) as in "genou”, “girafe” or “gyrophare”
/j/
The sound /j/ represented by the letter (y) as in “payer”, this sound can also be represented by the combination of letters (ille) as in the words “famille” or “fille”.
/w/
The sound /w/ represented by the combination (w) as in "kiwi" or by the combination of letters (oui) as in “pingouin”.
The vowels in French:
/a/
The sound /a/ is represented by the letter (a) as in "chat" or "patte".
/ɑ/
The sound /ɑ/ is represented by the letter (â) as in "pâte".
The sound /ɑ/ is a bit longer and more open than the previous sound /a/.
Patte /a/
Pâte /ɑ/
/e/
The sound /e/ is represented by the letters (é, er, ez) as in "été", "parler", "nez", or by (es) as in "les".
/ɛ/
The sound /ɛ/ is represented by the letters (è, ê, ai, ei) as in "fête", "près", "reine", “faire”.
/i/
The sound /i/ is represented by the letters (i, î, y) as in "île", "fil" or “idylle”.
/o/
The sound /o/ is represented by the letters (eau, au, o) as in "eau", "auberge", "dos".
/ɔ/
The sound /ɔ/ is represented by (o) as in “or”, “pomme”, “bestiole”. It's here an (o) more open than the previous (o).
/u/
The sound /u/ is represented by (ou) as in "outil" or represented by two (oo) as in the English word “cool”.
/y/
The sound /y/ is represented by (u) as in "lune" or in “urgent”.
/ø/
The sound /ø/ is represented by (eu) as in “jeu” or “peu” or by the letters (œu) as in “vœu”
/œ/
The sound /œ/ is represented by (eu, œ, œu,ue) as in “peur”, "sœur", "cœur", “cueillir*”,* “neuf”.
/ə/
The sound /ə/ is represented by the letter (e) without accent as in "le", "je" or exceptionally by the letters (on) as in “monsieur”.
The nasal vowels in French:
/ɛ̃/
The sound /ɛ̃/ is represented by (in, im, ain, aim, ein, eim, en, un, yn or ym) as in "pain", "daim", "plein", “thym”, “rein”, “citoyen”, “impossible”.
/ɑ̃/
The sound /ɑ̃/ is represented by (an, am, en, em) as in "champ", "ample", "empreinte", “enfant”.
/ɔ̃/
The sound /ɔ̃/ is represented by (on, om) as in "nom", "ombre".
