French pronunciation guide
The sounds English speakers find hardest, explained in plain English. No IPA, no jargon — just clear tips and example words.
French vowels are shorter, tighter, and more precise than English ones. Your mouth does less moving.
Say 'ee' as in 'see', then round your lips into a tight 'o' shape without moving your tongue. This sound does not exist in English.
Like 'oo' in 'food' but shorter and tighter. Lips fully rounded, no glide.
Like 'ay' in 'say' but without the 'ee' glide at the end. Sharp and clean.
Like 'e' in 'bed', a bit more open. Your jaw drops slightly more than for é.
Say 'é' (as in café) then round your lips. Sits between English 'er' and 'oo'.
Pronounced 'wah'. Counter-intuitive for English readers — there is no 'oy' sound.
Nasal vowels are vowels you let resonate through your nose. The 'n' or 'm' that follows is not pronounced — it just tells you the vowel is nasal.
Open your mouth like you're saying 'ah', then send the sound through your nose. Don't pronounce the 'n'.
Round your lips for 'oh' and send the sound through your nose. The 'n' stays silent.
Smile slightly like 'eh' in 'bed' and let it ring through your nose. Close to a nasal 'a' in 'cat'.
Like 'in' but with the lips slightly rounded. Many modern French speakers merge this with 'in'.
French loves silent letters, especially at the ends of words. A good rule of thumb: most final consonants are silent, except C, R, F, L (think 'CaReFuL').
Almost always silent. 'Petit' sounds like 'puh-tee'. Plurals add an -s you don't hear.
Silent at the end of a word, but it tells you to pronounce the consonant before it. 'Grand' (silent d) vs 'grande' (pronounced d).
Always silent. 'Homme' is pronounced 'om'. It never makes the English 'h' sound.
The -ent on ils/elles verbs is silent. 'Ils parlent' sounds the same as 'il parle'.
The French R is the sound that gives English speakers the most trouble. It is not rolled with the tongue — it comes from the back of the throat.
Make a soft gargle at the back of your throat, similar to clearing it gently. Think of the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch' but voiced and softer. Do not curl your tongue.
Same throat sound, slightly longer. Don't roll it Spanish-style.
Liaison is when a normally silent final consonant gets pronounced because the next word starts with a vowel. It links words together smoothly.
The silent -s becomes a 'z' sound. 'Les amis' is pronounced 'lay-zah-mee'.
The 'n' of un/on/en is pronounced and the nasal vowel becomes oral. 'Un ami' is 'uh-nah-mee'.
The silent -t comes back. 'Petit ami' is 'puh-tee-tah-mee'.
Letters and combinations that English speakers consistently get wrong.
Always 'sh' in French, never 'tch'. 'Chat' (cat) is 'sha', not 'chat'.
Like the 's' in 'measure' or 'pleasure'. Never the English 'j' in 'jump'.
Just a 'k' sound. 'Qui' is 'kee', not 'kwee'. The 'u' is silent.
Pronounced like the 'y' in 'yes'. 'Fille' is 'fee-yuh', not 'fill'.
Like the 'ny' in 'canyon' or Spanish ñ. One soft sound, not two.