Vowels and accents
One sound for several letters, and what the accents do.
French has more vowel sounds than vowel letters, so it uses accents and letters written together. Learn each spelling as a unit: ou isn't o + u, and é isn't e.
The six vowel letters
| Letter | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | between the a of cat and father | la, papa, avec |
| e | a short uh; often silent | le, petit, table |
| i, y | like ee, short | ici, il y a, stylo |
| o | o, closed or open | mot, porte |
| u | ee with rounded lips | tu, sur |
The plain e is the trickiest letter. It's a short uh in short words and open syllables (le, de, petit), silent at the end of a longer word (table, porte), and said like è before two consonants or a final consonant (merci, belle, avec, mer). In les, des, mes, tes, ses and ces it's said like é.
Accents
| Accent | Name | On | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu | e | é, like the ay of say without the glide | été, café |
| è | accent grave | e, a, u | on e: è, as in bed; on a and u it only tells words apart | père, à, où |
| ê, ô, î | accent circonflexe | all five | on e: è; on o: a closed o; often marks a lost s | fête, hôtel, île |
| ë, ï | tréma | e, i, u | says the vowel apart from the one before | Noël, maïs |
| ç | cédille | c | makes c an s before a, o, u | ça, garçon |
The circumflex often stands for an s that French lost and English kept: forêt forest, hôpital hospital, île isle, fête feast, château castle.
Accents that tell words apart
| Without | With |
|---|---|
| a "has" | à "to, at" |
| la "the" | là "there" |
| ou "or" | où "where" |
| du "of the" | dû "owed" |
| sur "on" | sûr "sure" |
Vowels written together
| Letters | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ou | oo, as in food | vous, jour, nous |
| oi | wa | moi, trois, voir |
| au, eau | o | aussi, chaud, beau, eau |
| ai, ei | è | mais, lait, neige |
| eu, œu | é with rounded lips | deux, peu, heure, sœur |
| ui | u gliding into i | lui, nuit, huit |
Before another vowel, ou becomes a quick w (oui, jouer) and i a quick y (pied, bien). Vowels followed by n or m make the nasal vowels.
Cards from this guide
12 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.
What sound does é stand for?
é: like the ay of say, without sliding into ee.
How are è and ê said?
Both like the e of bed.
What does a circumflex on â, î, ô or û often show?
That an s once followed the vowel.
What's the difference between ou and où?
ou means "or"; où means "where".
What's the difference between a and à?
a is "has", from avoir; à is "to, at, in".
What do two dots on a vowel mean, as in Noël or maïs?
Say that vowel on its own, apart from the one before.
How is ou said?
Like the oo of food.
How is oi said?
"wa".
What do au and eau sound like?
Both like o.
How is eu said?
Like é with rounded lips.
How are ai and ei said?
Like è, the e of bed.
How is a plain e said before two consonants, as in merci?
Like è.