Introducing the French alphabet
| Letter | Phonic | Name | Accented letters | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | /a/ | a | Àà, â, Ææ | avion (plane) |
| B | /be/ | bé | bateau (boat) | |
| C | /ʃ/, /k/ or /s/ | cé | Çç | chien (dog) cœur or cerise |
| D | /de/ | dé | dauphin (dolphin) | |
| E | /ə/ | e | Éé, Èè, Êê, Ëë. Œœ | éléphant (elephant) |
| F | /ɛf/ | effe | fleur (flower) | |
| G | /ʒe/ or /g/ | gé | grenouille (frog) or genou | |
| H | Mostly silent, or /aʃ/ | ache | hotel (hotel) or hibou | |
| I | /i/ | i | Îî, Ïï | iglou (Igloo) |
| J | /ʒi/ | ji | jus (juice) | |
| K | /ka/ | ka | kangourou (kangaroo) | |
| L | /ɛl/ | elle | lapin (rabbit) | |
| M | /ɛm/ | emme | maison (house) | |
| N | /ɛn/ | enne | nid (nest) | |
| O | /o/ | o | Ôô | orange (orange) |
| P | /pe/ | pé | pomme (apple) | |
| Q | /ky/ | qu | quatre (four) | |
| R | /ɛʁ/ | erre | raisin (grape) | |
| S | /ɛs/ | esse | souris (mouse) Psst: this is one of many different ways to pronounce ‘s’ in French! | |
| T | /te/ | té | tortue (turtle) | |
| U | /y/ | u | Ù ù, Û û, Ü ü | uniforme (uniform) |
| V | /ve/ | vé | vache (cow) | |
| W | /dubləve/ | double vé | wagon (wagon) | |
| X | /iks/ | ixe | xylophone (xylophone) | |
| Y | /iɡʁɛk/ | i grec | Ÿ ÿ | yoyo (yoyo) |
| Z | /zɛd/ | zèbre (zebra) |
5. U
U is probably the hardest letter to pronounce as it’s not a sound we have in the English language. Try saying the letter ‘u’, but close your mouth, too, as if you’re ‘EE’. The correct ‘e-yooh’ sound should come… fairly naturally.
6. Y
The French ‘y’ is very different from the English letter.
It is pronounced like "ee-greck” with two distinct sounds. It is pronounced like a two-syllable word, so don’t pause between the two parts.
7. Œ
This digraph is pronounced like ‘oeh’. But you may hear it called e dans l’o, meaning “the e inside the o”. When used in a word, it normally takes the sound of the letter that follows it.
How many vowels in the French alphabet?
French has six vowels, and 20 consonants. Y is considered a vowel, unlike in English, where it is classed as a consonant.
How to pronounce accents in French?
There are several accent marks in French, known as diacritics, although unlike other languages, these accented letters aren't given special names. Instead, they are typically called by the name of the letter followed by the name of the accent.
- é - “e accent aigu”
- è - “e accent grave”
- ê - “e accent circonflexe”
- ë - “e tréma”
French accents don’t always affect pronunciation, but they can change the meaning of a word, so it’s important to always add the correct accent in written French.
For example:
- pêcheur (fisherman)
- pécheur (sinner)
Want to know more? Check out our French pronunciation guide which covers the key things you need to know when speaking French.
