Note prepared and edited By Mr. Mohamed K. Barrie.

French lecturer.

Quizzes

Learn why people trust wikiHow

WORLD LANGUAGESFRENCH

How to Pronounce the Letters of the French Alphabet

Co-authored by Lorenzo Garriga

Last Updated: October 24, 2022 Fact Checked

Download Article

The French alphabet is the same one used in English, and is also known as the Roman Alphabet.[1]
However, the pronunciations are almost all different. Learning them is essential to pronounce French
words and to learn how to spell in French. In addition to the normal alphabet, there are several
additional accents and combinations that you can learn to increase your fluency.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Pronouncing the Basic Sounds

Step 1 Listen to the alphabet pronounced by a native speaker.

Listen to the alphabet pronounced by a native speaker. You can use YouTube to find many examples of
people saying the alphabet, and hearing it is often better than trying to read it. Search online to hear
each letter as it is pronounced.[2]

Step 2 Pronounce A like “Ah.”

Pronounce A like “Ah.” Open your mouth wide to pronounce the first letter. This is similar to a “soft A” in
English.[3]

Advertisement
Step 3 Pronounce B like “Bey” or “Bay.”

Pronounce B like “Bey” or “Bay.” This is a soft sound, like saying “Hey” in English. Think of the first
syllable in the word “baby.”[4]

Step 4 Pronounce C like “she.”

Pronounce C like “she.” The is the first letter that varies strongly from the English equivalent. You can
also soften the “ay” sound to be more like an “e,” pronouncing it “Cey,” like the first sound in the word
“saving.”[5]

Step 5 Pronounce D like “deh.”

Pronounce D like “deh.” Similar to B, C and, later on, V and T. All of these letters use the soft “eh” sound
preceded by the letter in question.

Step 6 Pronounce F like “ef,” exactly how it is pronounced in English.

Pronounce F like “ef,” exactly how it is pronounced in English. The same sound is used in French as
English. L, M, N, O, and S are also pronounced like their English counterparts.[6]

Step 7 Pronounce H like “ahsh.”

Pronounce H like “ahsh.” The beginning is a soft A sound, like “ahhhh,” followed by the “sh.” It is similar
to the sound of the slang word “gosh.”[7]

Step 8 Pronounce I like “ee,” using a long E sound in English.

Pronounce I like “ee,” using a long E sound in English. I is pronounced like the E in “see” or “be.”

Step 9 Pronounce K like “kah.”

Pronounce K like “kah.” This is another easy one.[8]

Step 10 Pronounce L, M, N, and O like their American counterparts.

10

Pronounce L, M, N, and O like their American counterparts. These are simple and easy. They sound just
like the English version &rarr: “el,” “em,” “en,” and “oh.”[9]
Step 11 Pronounce P like “peh.”

11

Pronounce P like “peh.” It is as simple as the English word for making some money.

Step 12 Pronounce R like “err,” but with a slightly rolled R.

12

Pronounce R like “err,” but with a slightly rolled R. If you can’t roll your Rs, that is okay. A simple “err” will
suffice. It is similar to the first syllable of the English word “error.”[10]

Step 13 Pronounce S like “es,” similar to English.

13

Pronounce S like “es,” similar to English. The S is the same sound in both languages.[11]

Step 14 Pronounce T like “the.”

14

Pronounce T like “the.” A simple pronunciation, similar to B and D. Rhymes with “say.”[12]

Step 15 Pronounce V like “veh.”

15

Pronounce V like “veh.” Again, this is a simple pronunciation. Rhymes with “day.”[13]

Step 16 Pronounce W like “doob-leh-veh.”

16

Pronounce W like “doob-leh-veh.” This translates literally to “double V.” Just like in English, W is
essentially pronounced like 2 separate words – “Doob-leh” and “veh.”[14]

The word "double," in French, sounds a bit like “dooblay.”

17

Pronounce X like “eecks.” Another way to think about it is “eex.” X is not a very common French letter,
and sounds more an English X, just with a long E sound before the letter.[15]

18

Pronounce Z like “zed.” Simple and easy, this is actually how many British people pronounce Z in
English.[16]

Advertisement
Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Mastering the Difficult Sounds

Pronounce E like “euh.’ This is a very guttural sound, almost like you think something is gross or
disgusting. Think of the vowel sign in the word “took,” as in, “she took my example.”[17]

Pronounce G like “jeh,” with a soft G sound. Think of it as saying “jeh,” but elongating the j slightly so
that is sounds more like an “sh” sound. Think of the G sounds in “George.”[18]

The pronunciation rhymes with the English name “Shea.”

Pronounce J like “jhee.” This is just like the pronunciation of G, but with an E sound instead of an A.[19]

Pronounce U like “e-yooh,” and know that this is probably the hardest letter to pronounce. A good trick
for saying U is to start saying a hard E sound, like “eeee,” then move move your lips forward as if you
were saying “You.” This somewhat “compound” sound is tricky, and easiest to learn by listening to native
speakers. It is very similar to an exaggerated sound of disgust in English, “ewwwww,” but it starts with a
very pronounced E sound.[20]

Your tongue and mouth are situated like an “eee” sound.

Your lips are rounded in an “O” shape.

Pronounce Q like “kyoo” or “cue.” It is similar to the English version, but you slightly de-emphasize the y
sound in the middle. It is similar to the French pronunciation of U.[21]

Pronounce Y like “ee-greck.” The oddest pronunciation in the alphabet, Y has two sounds: “ee-greck.”
The second part sounds a bit like “gekko” with an R and no O.[22]
You do not, however, want to pause between “ee” and “greck.” Think of it as a two syllable word.

Know how to talk about the various accents. When adding accents to letters, such as when spelling
something for someone, you usually add the inflection or mark after the letters. So, for “è” you would
say “e, accent à grave,” (or, phonetically, “eh, ak-cent ah grav”). The accents are pronounced:

A right pointing dash (`) is an “accent à grave.” Pronounce “ah-grav.”

A left-pointing dash (such as in é), is an “accent aigu.” Pronounce “ah-goo.”

A point up (^) is known as a “circumflex.” It is pronounced just like it looks.

Learn to pronounce the special characters. French has a few extra letters and combinations, which brings
the total to 34 letters. The additional ones are:

Ç ( Ss ) (Also known as a çedilla, or “sirdiya”)

Π( Oo )

Æ ( Ay )

 ( Ah )

Ê ( Eh )

Î ( Ih )

Ô ( Oah )

Û ( Oh ).[23]

Review the pronunciation of the entire alphabet. Once you have them all down. Try saying them in order
to practice your pronunciation:

A (ahh), B (bay), C (say), D (day), E (euh), F (f),G (jhay),

H (ahsh), I (ee), J (jhee), K (kaa), L (l), M (m), N (n),

O (o), P (pay), Q (kyoo), R (err(rolled r)), S (es), T (tay), U (e-yooh),

V (vay), W (dooblay-vey), X (ix), Y (ee-greck), Z (zed).[24] [25]

Advertisement
Expert Q&A

Search

Type your query here

Add New Question

Question

How can I learn to pronounce French words?

Lorenzo Garriga

Lorenzo Garriga

Native French Speaker

Expert Answer

Watch movies and TV shows in French with subtitles on, or listen to French music and look up the lyrics
and their translations.

Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.

Thank you for your feedback.

As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great
new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more.
Enjoy! Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in
helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and
even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1

Question

What is some simple French vocabulary?

Community Answer

Community Answer

Download a GCSE French vocab list and aim to learn a page a week. This will provide you with a basic
working vocabulary.

Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.

Yes No

Not Helpful 8 Helpful 41

I’m having trouble differentiating between the pronunciations of “E” and “U.” They both sound
extremely similar to me. Advice?

Community Answer

Community Answer

“E” is pronounced like the “oo” in wood, took, look, etc., kind of like a deeper version of “uh.” “U” is
pronounced pretty similarly to how it is in English (like the word "you" but with a bit of a stronger hard
“E” at the beginning. If you exaggerate it would be "ee-yuu”).

Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.

Thank you for your feedback.

As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great
new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more.
Enjoy! Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in
helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and
even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 17

See more answers

Ask a Question

What is your question?

200 characters left

Email address (optional)

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Tips

French teachers will really appreciate it if you use the French alphabet to spell words instead of English.

Thanks

Helpful 10 Not Helpful 0

Ask for help by French speakers. They will know what to help you on, and make you a better French
speaker.

Thanks
Helpful 9 Not Helpful 1

A way to learn this quickly is to write the letters on one side of a card and the pronunciation on the other
side. Practice with these in any spare time you have.

Thanks

Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1

Show More Tips

Advertisement

Warnings

Pronunciations may not be perfect. If possible, ask a French person to say the alphabet for you so you
can listen to how they pronounce the letters.

Thanks

Helpful 71 Not Helpful 17

Do not attempt to sound out French words using these letters, as often there will be accents which
change the sound, silent letters, and different sounds than how the letter is pronounced in the alphabet.

Thanks

Helpful 60 Not Helpful 17

You can easily forget the basics. To avoid this, practice practice practice!

Thanks

Helpful 61 Not Helpful 22

Advertisement

Things You’ll Need

CD-ROM for French beginners

A good teacher can be invaluable

You Might Also Like

How to

Learn Any Language

How to

Teach Yourself a New Language

Say Hello in Different Languages

The Best Way to Learn Mandarin

How to

Learn German

How to

Speak French

How to

Speak Basic French

How to

Describe Yourself in French

How to

Tell Time in French

How to

Write the Date in French

How to

End a Letter in French

How to

Pronounce Les Miserables

Learn French Fast

How to

Say Boyfriend in French

Advertisement

References

↑http://www.omniglot.com/writing/latin.htm

↑https://www.omniglot.com/writing/french.htm

↑https://mylanguages.org/french_alphabet.php

↑https://www.languageguide.org/french/alphabet/

↑https://www.languageguide.org/french/alphabet/

↑https://mylanguages.org/french_alphabet.php

↑https://www.languageguide.org/french/alphabet/

↑https://www.languageguide.org/french/alphabet/

↑https://mylanguages.org/french_alphabet.php

More References (18)

About This Article

Lorenzo Garriga

Co-authored by:

Lorenzo Garriga

Native French Speaker

This article was co-authored by Lorenzo Garriga. Lorenzo is a native French speaker and French language
connoisseur. He has many years of experience as a translator, writer and reviewer. He is also a composer,
pianist, and globe-trotter, who has been travelling the world on a shoestring for almost 30 years with a
backpack. This article has been viewed 610,165 times.

38 votes – 74%

Co-authors: 75

Updated: October 24, 2022

Views: 610,165
Categories: French

Article Summary

If you want to learn how to pronounce the French alphabet, remember that they pronounce F, L, M, N,
O, and S exactly like we do. Aside from the 8 letters they have that we don’t, their alphabet is
pronounced as follows: A (ahh), B (bay), C (say), D (day), E (euh), F (f), G (jhay), H (ahsh), I (ee), J (jhee), K
(kaa), L (l), M (m), N (n), O (o), P (pay), Q (kyoo), R (err(rolled r)), S (es), T (tay), U (e-yooh), V (vay), W
(dooblay-vay), X (ix), Y (ee-greck), Z (zed). Scroll down to learn how to pronounce the other 8 letters.