French Alphabet Chart
All 26 letters with IPA phonetics, pronunciation tips, and example words. Click any letter to hear it spoken.
IPA Phonetic
Pronunciation tip
Example words
Click any letter card above to see its pronunciation details.
French Sounds That Don't Exist in English
The French R — [ʁ]
Unlike the English "r", the French R is produced at the back of the throat (uvular). Imagine gargling softly — the vibration comes from the uvula, not the tongue tip. Found in: rouge, rue, Paris, merci.
The French U — [y]
This sound doesn't exist in English. Say "ee" and round your lips as if saying "oo". Your tongue stays forward. Found in: lune, tu, rue, nature. Most confusing for English speakers.
Nasal Vowels
French has vowels where air flows through both mouth and nose simultaneously. No English equivalent. Examples: an, en, in, on, un. Heard in: blanc, vin, mon.
Silent Letters
French has pervasive silent letters. Final consonants are usually silent: petit (the t is silent), vous (s is silent), beaux (x is silent). The letter H is almost always silent.
The French Alphabet — Everything You Need to Know
The French alphabet has the same 26 letters as the English alphabet. However, French also uses 5 accent marks (diacritics) that change how vowels are pronounced and sometimes change meaning: é, è, ê, ë, à, â, ä, î, ï, ô, ö, ù, û, ü, ÿ, ç. These are not separate letters — they are the same letters with modified sounds.
French Letter Names vs English Letter Names
Every letter in French has a specific name — the sound you say when reciting the alphabet. These names are often completely different from English. For example: the letter J is called ji (like "zhee"), G is called jé (like "zhay"), and W is called double vé.
The 5 French Accent Marks
- Accent aigu (é) Raises the vowel sound — café, été, étoile
- Accent grave (è/à) Lowers the é sound or distinguishes words — père, à, là
- Accent circ. (ê) Often marks a historical lost 's' — forêt, fête, tête
- Tréma (ë/ï) Shows two vowels are pronounced separately — Noël, naïf
- Cédille (ç) Makes C sound like S before a, o, u — garçon, français
How to Use This Tool
Click any letter card to see its full details: the letter name (how it's said in the alphabet), the IPA phonetic symbol, a pronunciation tip, and example words. Use the 🔊 Pronounce button on each card to hear the letter spoken by a native French voice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many letters are in the French alphabet?
The French alphabet has 26 letters — exactly the same letters as the English alphabet (A–Z). However, French also uses diacritics (accent marks) on vowels: é, è, ê, ë, à, â, î, ï, ô, ù, û, ü, ÿ, and the cedilla ç. These modify pronunciation but are not counted as separate letters.
What is the hardest French letter to pronounce?
For English speakers, R and U are the hardest. The French R is a uvular fricative [ʁ] — produced by vibrating the back of the throat, not the tongue tip. The French U [y] requires rounding your lips while keeping your tongue forward (like saying "ee" with rounded lips). Both sounds have no English equivalent.
Is the French H always silent?
Almost always — but there are two types. H muet (mute H) allows liaison and elision: l'homme, les hommes. H aspiré (aspirate H) blocks liaison even though it's still silent: le hibou (not l'hibou). There's no pronunciation difference — you simply have to learn which words use which type.
How do you say the French alphabet out loud?
Each letter has a specific name in French: A (ah), B (bay), C (say), D (day), E (euh), F (ef), G (zhay), H (ash), I (ee), J (zhee), K (kah), L (el), M (em), N (en), O (oh), P (pay), Q (koo), R (air), S (ess), T (tay), U (oo with rounded lips), V (vay), W (double-vay), X (eeks), Y (ee-grek), Z (zed). Click each card in the chart above to hear the correct pronunciation.
What does IPA mean and why is it useful for French?
IPA stands for the International Phonetic Alphabet — a universal system where each symbol represents exactly one sound. It's especially useful for French because French spelling is highly irregular (the same letter combination can be pronounced differently in different words). IPA removes ambiguity: if you can read the IPA, you can pronounce any word correctly.
What is liaison in French?
Liaison is when a normally silent final consonant is pronounced because the next word begins with a vowel or mute H. Example: les amis — the S in les is pronounced as a Z sound: "lay-ZAMEE". Liaison can be mandatory (les enfants), optional (pas encore), or forbidden (et + vowel).
What is the cedilla (ç) used for?
The cedilla (ç) is placed under the letter C to indicate it should be pronounced as /s/ — not as /k/ — before the vowels A, O, and U. Without the cedilla: ca = /ka/. With the cedilla: ça = /sa/. Common words: garçon, français, façade, leçon, ça. Before E and I, C is already soft (/s/), so no cedilla is needed.
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