Learn the French alphabet with pronunciation guide

The first step to master any language is to know the alphabet. French is no exception, but its slight derivation from English may pose some challenges for beginners. Get it right from the start: Scroll down for Thao & Co.’s concise guide on the French alphabet and pronunciation for each letter, punctuation mark, and basic numbers.

The French Alphabet: An Overview

The French alphabet is based on Latin, the official language of the ancient Roman empire. Its influence on other Western languages can be felt today, even long past its decline in use. Each language adopts the Latin alphabet in its own way.

French, for example, uses an extended version of the Latin alphabet. On a closer look, you will notice a few differences compared to the English alphabet. In addition, the French language was also historically influenced by Arabic, Greek, English, and Italian cultures, just to name a few.

The French Alphabet

The French alphabet contains 26 letters:

1. • 6 vowels: a, e, i, o, u, y
2. • 20 consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, z

• The French alphabet in print:

• The French alphabet in cursive:

Read more: Common languages in France

French alphabet pronunciation

French doesn’t seem too different from English. However, try to pronounce letters in French, and you will notice distinct differences compared to English.

Consult the IPA transcription (or phonetic symbols) and pronunciation guide for each French letter below:

1. • A: /a/: Mouth open wide, tongue low, and lips unrounded.
2. • B: /be/: Lips partially closed; should release a mild burst of air.
3. • C: /se/: The tongue tip barely touches upper teeth; soft aspiration, with no burst of air.
4. • D: /de/: The tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge; soft aspiration.
5. • E: /ə/ or /ø/: Mouth half-open, lips slightly rounded or relaxed depending on the sound.
6. • F: /ɛf/: The upper teeth lightly touch the lower lip; no vibration.
7. • G: /ʒe/: Sound is released from the middle of the tongue, similar to the sound “zh”
8. • H: /aʃ/: In most cases, it is not pronounced and exists solely for grammatical or spelling purpose.
9. • I: /i/: Tense lips, the tongue gets close to the roof of the mouth.
10. • J: /ʒi/: Similar to the “ʒ” sound, with soft vibration in the middle of the tongue.
11. • K: /ka/: Strong aspiration from the back of the tongue; lips unrounded.
12. • L: /ɛl/: The tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge; soft aspiration.
13. • M: /ɛm/: Lips completely closed, producing a nasal sound.
14. • N: /ɛn/: The tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge, producing a nasal sound.
15. • O: /o/: Lips rounded; the sound should escape unobstructed from the throat.
16. • P: /pe/: Lips closed completely, releasing a strong burst of air.
17. • Q: /ky/: Link the /k/ sound with the vowel /y/.
18. • R: /ɛʁ/: Vibration in the throat; relaxed tongue tip, back of the tongue slightly pulled back.
19. • S: /ɛs/: Upper and lower teeth come near each other, with the tongue tip slightly touches upper teeth; no vibration.
20. • T: /te/: The tongue tip is close to the alveolar ridge; clear aspiration.
21. • U: /y/: Tongue high, lips rounded; prolonged sound.
22. • V: /ve/: The upper teeth touch the lower lip; slight vibration.
23. • W:/dublə ve/: Lips slightly rounded.
24. • X: /iks/: A burst /k/ sound comes from the back of the tongue, followed by an /s/ sound.
25. • Y: /i gʁɛk/: /i/ pronounced as a high vowel, and the “r” sound in “gʁɛk” should cause a strong vibration in the throat.
26. • Z: /zɛd/: The upper and lower teeth come near each other; slight vibration.

Read: Is French hard to learn?

Pronunciation guide for punctuation and basic number

With the basics taken care of, let’s learn how to pronounce basic numbers and punctuation marks in French.

Numbers in French

1. • 0: zéro – /zeʁo/
2. • 1: un – /œ̃/
3. • 2: deux – /dø/
4. • 3: trois – /tʁwa/
5. • 4: quatre – /katʁ/
6. • 5: cinq – /sɛ̃k/
7. • 6: six – /sis/ or /si/
8. • 7: sept – /sɛt/
9. • 8: huit – /ɥit/
10. • 9: neuf – /nœf/
11. • 10: dix – /dis/
12. • 11: onze – /ɔ̃z/
13. • 12: douze – /duz/
14. • 13: treize – /tʁɛz/
15. • 14: quatorze – /katɔʁz/
16. • 15: quinze – /kɛ̃z/
17. • 16: seize – /sɛz/
18. • 17: dix-sept – /dis sɛt/
19. • 18: dix-huit – /diz ɥit/
20. • 19: dix-neuf – /diz nœf/
21. • 20: vingt – /vɛ̃/
22. • 30: trente – /tʁɑ̃t/
23. • 40: quarante – /kaʁɑ̃t/
24. • 50: cinquante – /sɛ̃kɑ̃t/
25. • 60: soixante – /swasɑ̃t/
26. • 70: soixante-dix – /swasɑ̃t dis/
27. • 80: quatre-vingts – /katʁ və̃/
28. • 90: quatre-vingt-dix – /katʁ və̃ dis/
29. • 100: cent – /sɑ̃/

Punctuation marks and other symbols in French

1. . : le point /lə pwɛ̃/
2. , : la virgule /la viʁɡyl/
3. ? : le point d’interrogation /lə pwɛ̃ dɛ̃tɛʁɔɡasjɔ̃/
4. ! : le point d’exclamation /lə pwɛ̃ dɛksklamɑsjɔ̃/
5. : : les deux-points /le dø pwɛ̃/
6. () : les parenthèses /le paʁɑ̃tɛz/
7. – : le trait d’union /lə tʁɛ dynjɔ̃/

Tips for learning the French alphabet

Correct French alphabet pronunciation will serve as a foundation for accurate and natural French pronunciation. Here are a few handy tips to pronounce the French alphabet correctly:

1. • Listen carefully to how native speakers talk, especially where they tend to aspire. Imitate their shape of mouth and lips, and adjust the movement of your tongue and vocal folds until satisfactory.
2. • Be careful of the alphabet: Some letters looks similar but sound different to English. These include B, D, T, P, R, U, E, É, and È.
3. • Practice commonly confused sounds in pair. For example: G and J, U and OU.
4. • Try to practice simple phrases, not separate words.
5. • Record yourself reading a text and compare it to native speakers’ pronunciation.
6. • Keep a habit of practicing for 5-10 minutes a day.
7. • Sing along with the French alphabet song to quickly remember the pronunciation.

Summary

We at Thao & Co. hope that our guide will be useful for beginning learners of the French language.

French is not too difficult. Still, it takes effort, patience, and hundreds of hours to master the language. If you have to use or speak French for professional purposes, it will take much more than just knowing the basics.

Focus on your expertise and let us handle the linguistics end: Thao & Co.’s professional French translation services will ensure absolute accuracy and keep the original message intact. We specialize in:

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