Spelling and sounds
The same letters as English, a few accents, and many silent letters.
French is written in the same 26 letters as English. Vowels can carry accents (é, è, ê, à, ô and a few more), c can carry a cedilla (ç), and o and e can be joined as œ. é, è, à, ù and ç have their own keys on a French keyboard, and the other accents are typed with a dead key before the letter. Leaving the accents off is a spelling mistake, though capitals often drop them in print.
Easy to read, hard to spell
French spelling follows rules, so once you know them you can read most words aloud. The other way round is harder: one sound often has several spellings, and many letters are written but not said.
| Sound | Spellings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| o | o, ô, au, eau | mot, hôtel, chaud, beau |
| è | è, ê, ai, ei, e before two consonants | père, fête, mais, neige, belle |
| in | in, im, ain, ein, un | vin, simple, pain, plein, lundi |
| s | s, ss, c, ç, t | sac, passer, ici, ça, nation |
Letters you don't hear
Most consonants at the end of a word are silent, and so is a final e: petit is said "p'tee", les is "lay", ils parlent sounds like il parle. See Silent letters. These letters still matter: they show plurals and verb endings in writing, and they come back before a vowel in liaison.
Saying the letters
Some letter names sound like other letters' names in English, which matters when you spell a name or an email address.
| Letter | Said | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| e | "uh" | not "ee" |
| i | "ee" | English e |
| g | "zhay" | sounds like English j |
| j | "zhee" | sounds like English g |
| r | "air" | with the French r |
| u | the French u | see Pronunciation |
| w | double v | "double v", not "double u" |
| y | i grec | "Greek i" |
Capital letters
French uses fewer capitals than English. Days, months, languages, and nationality adjectives are written in small letters: lundi, janvier, le français, un livre français. A noun for a person of a nationality takes a capital: un Français, a Frenchman.
Punctuation
In France, a space goes before a two-part mark, ? ! : or ;, as in Tu viens ? Quotations use guillemets with spaces inside, « Bonjour », and dialogue in novels is often marked with dashes instead.
Cards from this guide
7 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Getting started cards.
Which letters does French use?
The same 26 as English, plus accented vowels, ç and œ.
Why is French easier to read aloud than to spell from hearing?
Spelling follows rules from letters to sounds, but one sound has many spellings.
Are final consonants usually said in French?
Mostly not: final consonants and a final e are usually silent.
How are the letters g and j named in French?
g is "zhay" and j is "zhee".
Are days, months and languages written with a capital in French?
No: lundi, janvier, le français.
What goes before ? and ! in French writing?
A space.
How is the letter w named in French?
double v: "double v".