As most English speakers, well more generally as most non-French speakers, you’ll agree that one of the toughest parts of learning French is not its vocabulary nor grammar (even though, yes, that’s pretty difficult too) but it is its pronunciation.
French people sound so sexy when they speak, don’t they?
So, why don’t you? You will do too… eventually. You just need to practice and I’ve got just what you need to understand French pronunciation better and to master their beautiful accent.
Do you mumble more than you express yourself clearly?
As a French learner, you’re likely to struggle with the pronunciation of the letters R and U but also with the combination of some letters that create new sounds all together. Don’t let a few letters and some phonics difficulties defeat you though.
After having read this blog, things should be a lot clearer to you. So here are 53 words you probably struggle to pronounce in French. I have classed them by sound to ease your learning.
A. The International Phonetic Alphabet
Before I give you the much wanted list, let’s learn a bit about the International Phonetic Alphabet.
What is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and why is it important for you to have a glance at it?
The IPA has been invented to write words not according to their spelling but according to the sounds they make. It has been written to help language learners overcome pronunciation difficulties.
Of course, I’m not telling you to learn it by heart (even though I had to for my teaching exam!) but just to have a look at it. It will help you recognize words better and therefore to pronounce them and spell them better.
I have classed the various French sounds depending on if they are made by vowels or consonants.
You can upload the PDF of the chart by clicking on the following link.
Also, here is a link with the actual sounds made by the letters and combinations of letters. I found it on the TV5 website (great website by the way!).
http://apprendre.tv5monde.com/ja/apprendre-francais/lalphabet-phonetique-international-api-2
The International Phonetic Alphabet chart
French sounds and their spelling
| IPA oral vowels | French written form | Examples |
| [i] | i – y – î – ï | Livre, lys, île, haïr… |
| [e] | é – e – ai | Égalité, chanter, craie… |
| [ɛ] | è – e – ê – ai – aî – ay – ei – ey | Sève, crêpe, aimer, naître… |
| [a] [ ɑ ] | a – à – â | Lac, pâte… |
| [o] | o – au – eau – ô | Rose, autour château, drôle… |
| [ɔ] | o – au | Note, mauvais… |
| [u] | ou – oû | Soupe, goût… |
| [y] | u – û – hu | Têtu, bûche, humide… |
| [ø] | eu – oeu | Jeu, vœu… |
| [ œ] | eu – oeu – heu | Seul, œuf, heure… |
| [ ə ] | e | Leçon… |
| IPA nasal vowels | French written form | Examples |
| [ɛ̃] | in – im – ain – aim – ein | Singe, impossible, main, faim, frein… |
| [ œ̃ ] | un – um | Lundi, parfum… |
| [ ɑ̃ ] | en – em – an – am – aon | Gentil, remplir, divan, jambe, paon |
| IPA consonants | French written form | Examples |
| [p] | p – pp | Poisson, appeler… |
| [b] | b – bb | Bébé, abbaye… |
| [t] | t – tt – th | Tortue, attacher, mathématiques… |
| [d] | d – dd | Dormir, addition… |
| [k] | c – cc – qu – k – ch | Café, accoucher, qui, kilo, choeur… |
| [g] | g – gu | Garage, déguisement… |
| [m] | m – mm | Armoire, commande… |
| [n] | n – nn | Noir, personne… |
| [f] | f – ff – ph | Force, siffler, pharmacie… |
| [v] | v | Vitesse… |
| [s] | s – ss – c – ç – t – x | Silence, saucisse, leçon, opération, six.. |
| [z] | s – z | Cerise, zéro… |
| [ʃ] | ch | Chat… |
| [ʒ] | j – g – ge | Jaguar, girafe, genou… |
| [ ɲ ] | gn | Saigner… |
| [l] | l – ll | Lune, allumer… |
| [r] | r – rr – rh | Réparer, verre, rhume… |
| [ ks ] | x – cc – xc | Taxi, accident, excité… |
| [ gz ] | x | Exercice… |
| IPA
semi-vowels / semi-consonants |
French written form | Examples |
| [j] | i – ill – ll – il – y | Pied, paille, fille, œil, yeux… |
| [w] | ou | Oui, ouest… |
| [ɥ] | ui | Lui, huile… |
Now that the International Phonetic Alphabet makes more sense to you, let’s tackle these difficult sounds (well, not difficult for long! 😉 ).
As you can see, I have listed the 53 French words you might struggle to pronounce by sound. I have also written their IPA spelling so you can refer to the chart above to see other words which have the same sound and you can go on the TV5 website (cf. link above) to listen to the actual sound and practice. Recipe for success!
B. 53 French words difficult to pronounce
Let’s start with the sound « oin ». Why do you think you find it complicated to pronounce? Yes, you’ve got it in one: that’s because it is a nasal sound that doesn’t exist in English.
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Loin | Far | |
| Foin | Hay | |
| Coin | Corner | |
| Adjoint | Deputy | Don’t pronounce the final T. |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
L’adjoint ramasse du foin et le met loin dans un coin.
The deputy is picking up some hay and is putting it far in a corner.
B. EU [œ] and [ø]
This one might be a bit of a tricky one cause this combination of letters can make two sounds: a close one and an open.
I wrote some examples for you. Have a look and try to find a pattern.
→ Close sound [ø]:
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Peu | A little bit | |
| Mieux | Better | Don’t pronounce the final X. |
| Feu | Fire | |
| Vieux | Old | Don’t pronounce the final X. |
Let’s check the open “EU” sound now (it’s a longing sound).
→ open sound [œ] :
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Jeune | Young | |
| Beurre | Butter | |
| Peur | Fear | |
| Neuf | New/nine |
What do you notice? Indeed! When the sound insists on a vowel, it’s a close sound and when the last sound insists on a consonant, it’s an open sound. Well done you!
As you probably already know, French love exceptions! So, here are two: the verbs pleuvoir (to rain) and pleurer (to cry).
These two verbs are exceptions as they have two syllables which have distinct sounds :
- Pleu (first sound) / voir (second sound) → “pleu” is a closed sound.
- Pleu (first sound) / rer (second sound) → “pleu” is a closed sound.
When they are conjugated, their sounds become open as the two syllables don’t make two distinct sounds anymore. The second syllable is pronounced in line with the first one.
- Il pleut (it’s raining)
- Il pleure (he’s crying)
And because two exceptions might not be quite enough, there’s a third one!
“EU” as in “Elle a eu” (she has had). It is pronounced [y].
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
Les jeunes et les vieux se sentent mieux et ont moins peur quand ils mangent du beurre au coin du feu.
Young and old people feel better and are less scared when they eat some butter by the fireside.
C. EAU / AU [o]
Combined together these vowels make the sound [o].
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Château | Castle | The accent on the A does not change its pronunciation. |
| Rateau | Rake | |
| Gâteau | Cake | The accent on the A does not change its pronunciation. |
| Agneau | Lamb | Be careful with the sound of « GN ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Chapeau | Hat | Be careful with the sound of «CH ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Mauvais | Bad | Don’t pronounce the S. |
| Chaud | Hot | Be careful with the sound of «CH ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. Don’t pronounce the final D. |
| Automobiliste | Car driver | |
| Restaurant | Restaurant | Don’t pronounce the final T. |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this short text correctly:
L’automobiliste a chaud. Il enlève son chapeau et joue avec un rateau. Il va dans un mauvais restaurant et mange de l’agneau et un gâteau.
The car diver is warm. He takes his hat off and plays with a rake. He goes to a bad restaurant and eats some lamb and a cake.
D. EN / AN / EM / EN [ã]
Why do some words take EN and AN and others EM and AM? What is the difference between words written with M and words written with N?
Well, it’s a just a spelling rule (to learn by heart…). It’s an easy one though.
You have to put an M in front of a B, a P or a M.
- embarquer (to board)
- crampon (stud)
- emmener (to take)
Of course, there are some exceptions (it wouldn’t be very French not to have any, would it?):
- bonbon (sweet)
- bonbonnière (sweet box)
- bonbonne (demijohn)
- embonpoint (stoutness)
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Enfant | Child | Don’t pronounce the final T. |
| Banc | Bench | Don’t pronounce the final C. |
| Pendant | During | Don’t pronounce the final T. |
| Chambre | Bedroom | Be careful with the sound of «R ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Longtemps | A long time | Pronounce neither the G, the P nor the S. |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
L’enfant s’assoit pendant longtemps sur un banc dans sa chambre.
The child sits for a long time on a bench in his bedroom.
E. ON [õ]
Another nasal sound that doesn’t exist in English. Easy peasy, lemon squeesy!
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Poisson | Fish | Be careful with the sound of «OI ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Bon | Good | |
| Monde | World | |
| Son | Sound/his/her |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
Dans le monde des poissons, il y a du bon son.
In the fish world, there is some good sound.
F. OE [œ]
This is the famous French “e dans l’o”. This letter doesn’t exist in English. It comes from the Greek diphthong of which became oe in Latin and then œ in French.
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Œuf | Egg | |
| Cœur | Heart | |
| Bœuf | Beef |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this French proverb correctly:
Qui vole un oeuf, vole un boeuf.
He that will steal an egg will steal an ox (once a thief, always thief).\
G. TH [t]
“TH” is actually easier to learn for people studying French than for people studying English. Indeed, French people really do struggle with the pronunciation of the English “TH”.
See, everyone is in the same boat when it comes to pronunciation!
It’s actually pretty easy to pronounce in French once you know its sound. It’s [t].
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Mathématiques | Mathematics | Don’t get confused with the English word. |
| Thon | Tuna | Be careful with the sound of «ON ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Athlète | Athlete | Don’t get confused with the English word. |
| Théorème | Theorem | Don’t get confused with the English word. |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
L’athlète révise son théorème mathématique en mangeant du thon.
The athlete revises his mathematical theorem while eating some tuna.
H. AIN / IN / EIN [ɛ̃]
Surely, you’re not worried about another nasal sound? You’re so used to them now, you can handle them all!
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Pain | Bread | |
| Vin | Wine | |
| Plein | Plenty / a lot |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
Il mange plein de pain avec son vin.
He’s eating a lot of bread with his wine.
I. OI [wa]
Here”s a little trick for you: to practice this sound, think about the word “what” in English. Now, pronounce it without saying the final “t”. Well, here you have it! The French OI is the equivalent of “wha” in English. Easy or easy? Very easy!
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Oiseau | Bird | |
| Oisiveté | Idleness | |
| Oie | Goose |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
L’oie est un oiseau qui aime l’oisivété.
Goose is a bird which likes idleness.
J. R [R]
So, now, that is a tough one for English speakers. It can be so hard to pronounce… well that is if you don’t know my little trick!! Here it comes!
Grab a pencil, put it in your mouth sideways (otherwise you may chock on it…) as far as you can against your lips and bite it.
Now, pronounce the letter R in French or even better a word with this letter (rouge for example).
So, what do you think? It’s good, isn’t it?!
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Rouge | Red | |
| Orange | Orange | |
| Rateau | Rake | Be careful with the sound of «EAU».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
Practice time!
Try and pronounce this sentence correctly:
Le rateau est rouge et orange.
The rake is red and orange.
K. Letters not to pronounce at the end of French words
Last but not least: which letters should not be pronounced at the end of words?
Unlike in English, letters are not pronounced at the end of French words.
To help you remember which letters not to pronounce, here’s another trick you will now have up your sleeve!
Learn this sentence by heart: Hey Girls Do Save This Please X
Okay, repeat, repeat and repeat it more. Perfect.
Now, that you know it well, only think of the first letter of each word (H, G, D, S, T, P, X). Well, my dear, these are the letters you should not pronounced at the end of French words! Pretty cool, isn’t it?
| French words | English words | Pronunciation tips |
| Waouh | Wow | Be careful with the sound of «OU».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Édimbourg | Edinburgh | Be careful with the sounds of «IM» and « OU ».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Froid | cold | Be careful with the sound of «OI».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Paris | Paris | Don’t get confused with the English pronunciation. |
| Achat | Purchase | Be careful with the sound of «CH».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
| Sirop | Cordial | |
| Mieux | Better | Be careful with the sound of «EU».
Have a look at the IPA chart if need be. |
French pronunciation should have no secrets for you anymore. Please, remember though, everyone likes a bit of a foreign accent !
