Introduction to French
French Alphabet
The French Alphabet
The French alphabet uses the same 26 letters as English. The main difference is how the letters themselves are named and pronounced. Knowing these names is a key first step to spelling words out loud and understanding spoken French.
Start by learning the French alphabet and its unique sounds, including nasal vowels and liaisons.
Here’s a quick guide to how each letter is pronounced. Try saying them aloud.
| Letter | Pronunciation (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| A | ah |
| B | bay |
| C | say |
| D | day |
| E | euh (like the 'e' in 'the') |
| F | eff |
| G | jhay |
| H | ash (the 'h' is silent) |
| I | ee |
| J | jhee |
| K | kah |
| L | ell |
| M | emm |
| N | enn |
| O | oh |
| P | pay |
| Q | koo |
| R | air |
| S | ess |
| T | tay |
| U | ew (pucker your lips and say 'ee') |
| V | vay |
| W | doo-bluh-vay |
| X | eeks |
| Y | ee-grek |
| Z | zed |
Accents and Special Marks
You've probably seen French words with little marks above or below the letters. These are called diacritics, or accents. They aren't just for decoration; they change how a letter is pronounced or distinguish one word from another.
Paying attention to accents is crucial. Forgetting one can change the entire meaning of a word.
There are five diacritics you'll need to know.
l'accent aigu
noun
The acute accent (é) only appears on the letter 'e'. It creates a sharp "ay" sound, like in the English word 'hay'.
Next is the grave accent.
l'accent grave
noun
The grave accent (è, à, ù) can appear on 'a', 'e', or 'u'. On an 'e', it makes an "eh" sound, like in 'get'. On 'a' and 'u', it doesn't change the sound but helps tell words apart, like a (has) versus à (to/at).
The circumflex looks like a little hat.
l'accent circonflexe
noun
The circumflex (â, ê, î, ô, û) can appear on any vowel. It slightly lengthens the vowel's sound. Often, it indicates that an 's' used to follow the vowel in Old French.
The diaeresis, or tréma, signals a separation.
le tréma
noun
The diaeresis (ë, ï, ü) shows that two adjacent vowels should be pronounced as separate sounds, not blended into one.
Finally, the cedilla changes how the letter 'c' sounds.
la cédille
noun
The cedilla (ç) is a small tail added to the letter 'c'. It's only used before the vowels 'a', 'o', or 'u' to make the 'c' sound like a soft 's' instead of a hard 'k'.
Joined Letters
French also has ligatures, which are two letters fused into a single character. The two most common are 'œ' and 'æ'.
- The ligature œ is found in words like
sœur(sister) andœil(eye). It represents a specific vowel sound. - The ligature æ is much rarer and mainly appears in Latin-derived words like
curriculum vitæ.
In modern typing and printing, you'll often see these written as two separate letters ('oe' and 'ae'), but it's good to recognize the original forms.
Now, let's test what you've learned.
How is the letter 'G' pronounced in French?
What is the primary function of the cedilla (la cédille) as seen in the word français?
Great work. Mastering the alphabet and its accents is a foundational skill that will help you read, write, and pronounce French correctly.