French letters lock together to create specific French sounds: understand this and you will not only be able to read French with ease, but gain confidence with your general French pronunciation.
First, Iâll record the different sounds that you will find in the French language, starting with the vowels and then the consonant sounds, and illustrate the sounds with examples in the form of a fun sentence. Iâll then focus on some challenging French sounds like the French U and the French R, explain the concept of liaison, and finally, Iâll give you pointers on how to improve your spoken French pronunciation.
This free lesson comes with audio recordings made by a French Parisian native (yours truly). Click on the link next to the đ§ headphones to play the audio of the sounds and many examples.
French Sounds
In any language, written letters combine to make sounds. Sometimes itâs rather logical â like the word âdogâ in English â sometimes much less, like the name âSeanâ which is pronounced like [Shon]âŠ
The good news is that French pronunciation is much more predictable than English pronunciation. Knowing how French letters group together to make a sound and the rules that govern French pronunciation will be a tremendous help.
First you may want to start by learning the French Alphabet.
French Alphabet Pronunciation
Please press on the audio player to hear my recording of the French alphabet. I left just enough time for you to repeat out loud.
a, b, c, d, e f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o ,p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.
Now, the alphabet states the names of the letters. Not necessarily their pronunciation. Written letters combine together to make sounds. Letâs see how!
Letâs start with the most important French sounds : the French vowels.
19 French vowel Sound Pronunciation
There are 6 vowels in French : A, E, I, O, U and Y (i grec).
These vowels with often combine with other vowels to spell out different French sounds.
Here is a recap, however, to get a deeper understanding of how each individual vowel is pronounced in French, I suggest you follow this link to my free audio lesson on French vowel pronunciation.
I got really creative with my examples: I created full sentences loaded with the sound I wanted to illustrate. Use the audio to repeat them out loud! Itâs a great way to exercise your French pronunciation and create reflexes!
You know a French teacher? Please share this lesson with him/her. Iâm quite sure they too will find it useful!
Letters | Pronunciation Tip | Example Sentence | |
1 | a, Ă | Like âahâ in English When a is written Ă , the pronunciation doesnât change. | Anne va Ă la plage. Ann goes to the beach |
2 | Ăą | Not always pronounced differently (Like most Parisians, I donât pronounce it differently), but sometimes makes the a sound a bit longer. | Anne regarde son Ăąne. Anne looks at her donkey. |
3 | ai | A and I combine together to make the sound Ăš. Note this sound is featured in French conjugations imparfait endings : ais, ai, ait, aient | Anne aimait son Ăąne. Anne loved her donkey. |
4 | au, eau | All these letter combine to make the sound o, like the o in âtoeâ. This sound can also be spelled âoâ or âĂŽâ (see below) | Au parc, Anne a de lâeau. At the park, Ann has water. |
5 | an, am, aon | A sometimes combien with the letter N or M to make a nasal sound an. Follow this link to my free audio lesson to understand French nasal pronunciation and rules. This sound can also be spelled âenâ and âemâ â see below. | Lâambulance a un grand panneau blanc. The ambulance has a large white panel. |
6 | ain | Here we have another nasal pronunciation. This sound can also be spelled âinâ, âimâ or âunâ â see below. | Anne a faim : elle mange du pain. Anne is hungry: she eats some bread. |
7 | e, eu | Sound a bit like the i in âsirâ. Note that the letter e is very often silent in French, like featured in the pronunciation of the word cartes where both the final e and s are silent (the word ends on the t sound). | Je veux acheter ce jeu de cartes. I want to buy this card game. |
8 | oeu, eu | Like the er in âherâ in English. | Ma soeur aime les fleurs. My sister loves flowers. |
9 | Ăš, ĂȘ, e | Like the English sound in âhairâ. | Cet hĂŽtel avec la fĂȘte est prĂšs de la mer. This hotel with the party is close to the sea. |
10 | Ă©, e | This sound doesnât really exist in English, but is very common in French. Itâs a bit like âayâ but with a closed mouth. The French Ă© sound is often found in the end of a word spelled as âerâ or âezâ. | ĂlĂ©onore et Anne sont allĂ©es Ă la plage lâĂ©tĂ© dernier. Eleonore and Anne went to the beach last summer. |
en, em, | Another way to spell the same French nasal sound than in âan, am, aonâ above. | En avant, ensemble ! Forward, together! | |
11 | i, y | Like the ee in âseeâ. | Il va y aller avec son ami Yves. Heâs going to go there with his friend Yves. |
in, im, un | Here is another way to spell the same vowel sound as in âainâ above. | Un matin, un lapin a pris un bain ? Impossible !! One morning, a rabbit took a bath? Impossible !! | |
o, ĂŽ | Pronounced like the o in âtoeâ. Itâs the same sound spelled by âau, eauâ. | Oh lĂ lĂ , lâhĂŽtel Bonobo est trĂšs joli. Oh my, the Bonobo hotel is really pretty. | |
14 | o | Pronounced like the o in ânotâ or âsonâ. | Cet homme donne une corde a votre bonne. This man gives a rope to your maid. |
15 | on | The nasal sound based on the o sound. | Son mouton a une toison trĂšs longue. His sheep has a very long coat. |
16 | ou | Pronounced a bit like âooâ in English but without moving the lips (in English, the lips modulate on the âooâ; the French âouâ sound is clipped). | OĂč allez-vous ? Nous voulons aller Ă Tombouctou ! Where are you going? We want to go to Tombouctou! |
17 | oi | Pronounced like âwaâ in English. | Toi ou moi? On dĂ©cide Ă trois ! You or me? Letâs decide on three! |
18 | oin | Another nasal sound⊠| Jâai besoin de moins de soin. I need less medical care. |
19 | u | This sound doesnât exist in English. Form an English âeeâ sound (French âiâ) then push your lips way to the front. See my detailed explanation below. | Tu as vu ? Lulu a conduit une voiture. Did you see? Lulu drove a car. |
Would you like to train more on French pronunciation? My audio lesson features full descriptions and pictures guiding you on how to place your mouth, lips and tongue, and many pronunciation drills!
Check out my downloadable audio lesson Secrets of French pronunciation to study French anywhere, at your desk on on the go on your mobile phone.

In-depth audiobook covering the foundations as well as the difficulties of todayâs French pronunciation
How To Pronunce the French U Sound?
The French âuâ sound often eludes students of French. Itâs often described as closed to the English âooâ sound, but in reality, itâs much closer to the English âeeâ sound.
Mouth Position
Start by making a French i sound, so like âteaâ, âfeeâ or simply âmeâ in English.
Then donât move anything inside your mouth. But push your lips way out as a kiss, and then curl them up a bit as if you wanted to touch your nose.
Here is what you should be hearing. Tiâ-iiiii-uuuuuuu
I find that itâs a huge help to start with the I sound and try to find the U as youâre saying the I.
Then you can add consonants : bu, mu, su, tu, luâŠ
Tuning Fork
Another way to find the U sound is to find a word you can pronounce. Many English speakers know how to say âtuâ (you in French). So use this âtuâ as a tuning fork.
Whenever you need to come up with your U sound, say âtuâ out loud a couple of times, then isolate the U sound and repeat it a couple of timesâŠ
Now letâs move to the next group of French sounds: consonants.
What are French Nasal Sounds?
A French nasal sound is a specific way to pronounce French vowels. The various French nasal sounds are displayed in this fun example : un bon vin blanc (a good white wine).
The French could have used some kind of accent to indicate a nasal sound. Like ã ĩ Ô⊠It would have made things so much simpler! Instead, we write a nasal sound in French with a vowel followed by an N or an M.
When To Pronounce N or M or a Nasal Sound?
A vowel can lock into a nasal pronunciation with a vowel + N or M is used:
Alone:
Ex: an (year), on (we), un (a), en (in),
At the end of a word
Ex: son (sound), pain (bread), fin (fine)
Is locked in by a consonant â at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a word
Ex: oncle (uncle) , ample, ombre (shade), orange, bonjour (hello), ambulance, ont (they have)
In other words a vowel would unlock the nasal combo.
Un = nasal
Une = not nasal because of the e.
How do you make a French nasal sound?
A nasal pronunciation has to do with the air flow at the back of your mouth. Many people can just find the sound by mimicking the audio. If itâs not the case for you, I have several precise solutions to unlock this French sound: I invite you to follow this link to my free audio lesson about French nasal sounds â with many examples.
Now letâs move on to other French consonants.
17 French Consonants Sounds Pronunciation
The very good news is that French consonants are pronounced pretty much the same way English consonants are. Let me list the French consonant sounds, give you some pronunciation tips and illustrate the French pronunciation with some fun sentences I made up specially for you!
Please share this article with your French learning friends, on social medias, forums, with your French teachers⊠This really helps me out and encourages me to write more free content!
Now play the audio recordings and remember to repeat out loud â not just in your head!
Letter | Pronunciation Tip | Example sentence | |
1 | b | Pronounced like in English | Le bébé boit un bon biberon. The baby drinks a nice baby bottle. |
2 | c=s c=k | Before e or i sounds like s. Elsewhere sounds like k | Câest certain que Caroline et Coralie aimeront ces citrons acidulĂ©s. Itâs certain that Caroline and Coraline will like these acidic lemons. |
ç = s | âçâ also sounds like s | Et ton garçon, ça va ? What about your boy, is he OK? | |
3 | ch=sh ch=k | Most of the time sounds like âshâ. Sometimes like k. | Christophe cherche le chemin pour aller chez Charlotte. Christophe is looking for the way to go to Charlotteâs house. |
4 | d | Pronounced like in English. Often silent at the end of a French word. | Denis vend un grand domaine dans le Doubs. Denis is selling a large estate in the Doubs (French region). |
5 | f | Pronounced like in English. F Makes a liaison in v (as featured in neuf ans [neu van]) | Fabrice est veuf depuis neuf ans. Fabrice has been a widower for nine years. |
6 | g | Like the g in âgoâ. | Gabrielle se gare devant la grille du garage. Gabrielle parks in front of the garage fence. |
7 | g=j | Before i and e, sounds like the s in âleisureâ (like a French âjâ) | Comme beaucoup de gens, Giselle aime les giraffes. Like many people, Giselle likes giraffes. |
h | H is silent is French, meaning that it is not aspirated as it is in English â unless its a foreign word. Some hâs in French prevent any liaison before them. Watch out! Th is pronounced like a âtâ in French! | Arthur et ThĂ©odore habitent en haut dâun salon de thĂ©. Arthur and ThĂ©odore live on top of a tea house. | |
j | Sounds like the s in âleisureâ, just like g + i or e. | Je sais : je vais ajouter de lâhuile de jojoba ! I know: Iâm going to add some jojoba oil! | |
k | Same as English. Not very common in French. | Karine fait du kayak au Kentucky. Karinne is kayaking in Kentucky. | |
8 | l | Same as in English, pronounced the same when double l. | Les lutins allument la lune qui luit alors toute la nuit. Elves ignite the moon which then shines all night long. |
9 | ill=y | âille, ail(le), euil(le), ouil(le) etcâŠâ combination features a sound similar the the y in âyahooâ. | Les abeilles lĂšchent le miel qui coule de la bouteille. The bees lick off the honey that is dripping off the bottle. |
10 | m | Same as in English except when featured in a nasal sound as explained above. | Emmanuelle a mangé mes mirabelles ! Emmanuelle ate my prunes! |
11 | n | Same as in English except when featured in a nasal sound as explained above. | Nathalie et NoĂ©mie vont organiser lâanniversaire dâAnĂ©mone la nuit du neuf novembre. Nathalie an NoĂ©mie are going to organize Anemoneâs birthday on the night of November nine. |
12 | p | Same as English. Often silent at the end of a word. | Papa parle beaucoup avec Pierre et Pedro. Papa speaks a lot with Pierre and Pedro. |
q/qu=k | Sound like k. Sometimes the u of the âquâ is pronounced in a latin word (as featured in âaquariumâ). | Quâest-ce quâelle dit ? Quelquâun a rayĂ© la laque de son aquarium ? Mais quand ?? What is she saying? Someone scratched the varnish or her fish tank? But when? | |
13 | r | Ah⊠the infamous French r. See below for tips on how to pronounce the French r. Itâs softer than you think, and in any case, itâs never the Spanish rolled r. | RenĂ©e et Raoul rient rarement de rien. RenĂ©e and Raoul seldom laugh because of nothing. |
s | Same pronunciation as in English. Watch out, the letter s is often silent at the end of a word. Also, a written S between two vowels makes the sound z. | Salut ! Sophie sait que ses soeurs sont aussi ici ? Hi! Does Sophie know her sisters are here as well? | |
14 | t | Same pronunciation as in English. Often silent at the end of a French word. Th is pronounced âtâ in French! | TimothĂ© et Thomas ont sautĂ© Ă lâĂ©lastique du haut du petit pont. TimothĂ© et Thomas bungee jumped from the top of the small bridge. |
15 | v | Same pronunciation as in English. | Véronique et Valérie vont en ville avec leur voiture : vroum-vroum ! Véronique and Valérie are going downtown with their car: vroum-vroum! |
16 | w=v w=w | Sometimes pronounced like a v or sometimes as an English w⊠Not a common letter in French hence my crazy example⊠| Elle a perdu son kiwi dans le wagon lit ! She lost her kiwi in the sleeping car! |
17 | z | Same pronunciation as in English. Note that âezâ make the sound Ă© â this is important for French verbs. Also, a written S between two vowels makes this sound z. | ChĂšre ZoĂ© : oseriez-vous venir visiter le zoo avec moi ? Dear ZoĂ©: would you dare to come visit the zoo with me? |
Now, let me help you help you with the French R.
How To Pronounce A Perfect French R
All it takes is 3 simple steps:
- stick your whole tongue to the top of your mouth.
This preparation step is very important: concentrate and really try to glue your tongue, back and front to the roof of your mouth. - lower only the tip of your tongue and press it hard against the back of your LOWER front teeth.
- Open your mouth and create a vibration in your throat, where you say the G of âgetâ in English.
Thatâs how youâll pronounce a perfect French R.
Your tongue is going to make like a curvy slide as you can see on the exaggerated picture I drew to illustrate this lesson. More tips and audio practice in my free audio lesson on how to pronounce the French R sound.

Now letâs talk about a very important French pronunciation concept : the dangerous liaisons!
What Are Liaisons in French Pronunciation?
âUne liaisonâ in French pronunciation is the fact that the final written consonant of a word becomes the first sound of the following word.
That sound may be the sound of the written consonant, or change slightly.
Letâs take an example.
Ils ont
The final S of âilsâ is totally silent.
âI-L-Sâ in French will never be pronounced [ils] nor [ilz]
However, the final silent S of âilsâ will affect the following word, the âontâ in liaison.
âOntâ (pronounced [on]) will be started by the S of the âilsâ, which becomes a Z sound in liaison.
So in pronunciation, âils ontâ is pronounced [il zon]
Examples of French Liaisons
Let me provide some examples with audio recordings.
- Un ami â a/one friend â liaison in N between âunâ and âamiâ
- Câest un ami â Heâs a friend â 2 liaisons in a row here: liaison in T between âestâ and âunâ, liaison in N between âunâ and âamiâ.
- Un petit enfant â a little child â liaison in T between âpetitâ and âenfantâ.
- On a â we have â liaison in N between âonâ and âaâ.
- Chez elle â at her place â liaison in Z between âchezâ and âelleâ.
- Un grand enfant â a tall child â liaison in T between âgrandâ and âenfantâ
- Nous avons â we have â liaison in Z between ânousâ and âavonsâ.
- Ils ont â they have â liaison in Z between âilsâ and âontâ.
- Deux heures â 2 hours â liaison in Z between âdeuxâ and âheuresâ.
- Ce nâest pas ici â Itâs not here â liaison in Z between âpasâ and âiciâ.
- Ils ont Ă©tĂ© â they have been â double liaison: first one in Z between âilsâ and âontâ, second one in T between âontâ and âĂ©tĂ©â.
- Mon premier amour â my first love.
There is a lot to say about French liaison, more than I can include in this general guide about French pronunciation. Yet â you guessed it â I have already published a free lesson with audio, exclusively available on French Todayâs blog! Learn everything there is to know about French liaisons with 100 examples and audio recordings.
Now that Iâve laid down the basics of French pronunciation for you, let me answer a critical question: how do you sound more French?
How to sound French?
In this free lesson, you learned the major French sounds.
If you have a great ear mouth coordination, you may be able to mimic my audio recordings and learn French pronunciation that way.
In my downloadable audio lesson Secrets of French Pronunciation, exclusively available on this website, I explain thoroughly how to place your mouth, lips, tongue to produce the different French sounds, explain all the pronunciation rules and provide many examples with audio recordings and audio drills. The whole lesson is logically structured to help you progressively build up your understanding of French pronunciation. And for many students, this lesson made a huge difference.
Yet, to really improve your French pronunciation, the key is to repeat whole sentences. So you get not only the individual sounds, but also develop an ear for how they all flow together, and get the music of the French language. I suggest you check out my French audiobooks, recorded at several levels of enunciation to help you master both traditional and modern spoken French pronunciation.
You may be interested in this other article about how to improve your French accent. As a matter of fact, a whole section of this French Today blog is dedicated to French pronunciation. Check it out!
Comments