The French Alphabet and Pronunciation

Introduction

The French alphabet has 26 letters, exactly like the English alphabet. However, the pronunciation of these letters often differs from other languages. This lesson will help you master the correct pronunciation of each letter of the French alphabet.

The Complete French Alphabet

Here is the French alphabet with the pronunciation of each letter:

Capital Letter	Lowercase Letter	Pronunciation	Example in a word	Translation
A	a	[ah]	Ami, chat	Friend, cat
B	b	[bay]	Beau, table	Beautiful, table
C	c	[say]	Café, école, ciel	Coffee, school, sky
D	d	[day]	Dans, dent	In, tooth
E	e	[uh]	madame, arbre	Madam, tree
F	f	[eff]	Famille, neuf	Family, nine
G	g	[zhay]	Garçon, langue	Boy, language
H	h	[ahsh]	-	-
I	i	[ee]	Ici, petit	Here, small
J	j	[zhee]	Jardin, déjà	Garden, already
K	k	[kah]	Kilo, parking	Kilo, parking
L	l	[ell]	Livre, soleil	Book, sun
M	m	[emm]	Maison, normal	House, normal
N	n	[enn]	Nom, bonne	Name, good
O	o	[oh]	Os, Rome	Bone, Rome
P	p	[pay]	Père, lapin	Father, rabbit
Q	q	[kew]	Qui, cinq	Who, five
R	r	[air]	Rouge, pour	Red, for
S	s	[ess]	Soeur, os	Sister, bone
T	t	[tay]	Table, petit	Table, small
U	u	[ew]	Une, salut	One (f), hi
V	v	[vay]	Voir, nouveau	To see, new
W	w	[doo-bluh-vay]	Wagon, web	Wagon, web
X	x	[eeks]	Exemple, sexe	Example, sex
Y	y	[ee-grek]	Yeux, joyeux	Eyes, joyful
Z	z	[zed]	Zéro, gaz	Zero, gas

Important Points about Pronunciation

1. The Vowels

French vowels are: A, E, I, O, U, Y

A is always pronounced [ah] as in "father"
E can be pronounced in different ways depending on context
I is pronounced [ee] as in "see"
O can be open [ɔ] or closed [o]
U is pronounced [ew] (rounded lips, tongue forward) - this sound doesn't exist in English
Y can behave like an I or like two I's

2. Special Consonants

H: This letter is never pronounced in French (except in some words of foreign origin)
R: The French R is pronounced with the back of the tongue against the palate (a guttural sound)
C: Pronounced [k] before A, O, U and [s] before E, I
G: Pronounced [g] before A, O, U and [zh] before E, I

Letters with Accents

French uses several accents that modify pronunciation:

Accented Letter	Accent Name	Pronunciation	Example
à	grave accent	[ah]	à, où, déjà
é	acute accent	[ay]	café, été, télé
è	grave accent	[eh]	père, mère, frère
ê	circumflex accent	[eh]	être, fête, tête
ë	diaeresis	[eh]	Noël, naïve
ç	cedilla	[s]	français, garçon

Recognition Exercise

Spell the following words in French:

BONJOUR - Answer: B-O-N-J-O-U-R
FRANÇAIS - Your turn!
ALPHABET - Your turn!
ÉCOLE - Your turn!
EXERCICE - Your turn!

Practical Tip:

To memorize the French alphabet well, recite it regularly out loud while respecting the French pronunciation of each letter.

Audio and Practice

Tip: Listen to the French alphabet recited by native speakers and repeat several times. Regular practice is essential to master the correct pronunciation.

Hint: Sing the French alphabet to the traditional melody. This will help you memorize the order and pronunciation of the letters!

Mon Français