French Alphabet, Accents and Spelling
In this lesson, you will learn the French alphabet, discover the main accents, and understand how spelling works in real-life situations.
English idea: this lesson helps you read, pronounce, and spell French more confidently.
What you will learn
- The 26 letters of the French alphabet
- Simple examples from A to Z
- The main French accents
- How to spell words and names in French
The French Alphabet
Pronunciation: [a] “ah”
English cue: as in father
Pronunciation: [be]
English cue: like English B
Pronunciation: [se] “say”
English cue: C letter name
Pronunciation: [de] “day”
English cue: like English D
Pronunciation: [ø] / [ə] French “uh”
English cue: unique French vowel
Pronunciation: [ɛf]
English cue: like English F
Pronunciation: [ʒe] “zhay”
English cue: soft “zh” as in measure
Pronunciation: [aʃ]
English cue: silent in French words
Pronunciation: [i] “ee”
English cue: as in see
Pronunciation: [ʒi]
English cue: “zh” as in measure
Pronunciation: [ka]
English cue: like English K
Pronunciation: [ɛl]
English cue: like English L
Pronunciation: [ɛm]
English cue: like English M
Pronunciation: [ɛn]
English cue: like English N
Pronunciation: [o] “oh”
English cue: O letter name
Pronunciation: [pe]
English cue: like English P
Pronunciation: [ky] “kew”
English cue: Q letter name
Pronunciation: [ʁ] guttural
English cue: throaty French R
Pronunciation: [ɛs]
English cue: like English S
Pronunciation: [te]
English cue: like English T
Pronunciation: [y] rounded “ee”
English cue: no English equivalent
Pronunciation: [ve]
English cue: like English V
Pronunciation: [dublə ve]
English cue: “double V”
Pronunciation: [iks]
English cue: like English X
Pronunciation: [igʁɛk]
English cue: “ee-grek”
Pronunciation: [zɛd]
English cue: British “zed”
Examples A–Z
Un ami est gentil.
uhn ah-mee eh zhahn-tee
A friend is kind.
La banane est jaune.
lah bah-nahn eh zhohn
The banana is yellow.
Le chat dort.
luh shah dor
The cat is sleeping.
La dame sourit.
lah dahm soo-ree
The lady smiles.
L’été est chaud.
lay-tay eh shoh
Summer is hot.
La fleur est belle.
lah fluhʀ eh bell
The flower is beautiful.
La gare est grande.
lah gahr eh grahnd
The train station is big.
L’hôtel est cher.
loh-tel eh shair
The hotel is expensive.
L’île est petite.
leel eh puh-teet
The island is small.
La jupe est rouge.
lah zhoop eh roozh
The skirt is red.
Le kiwi est vert.
luh kee-wee eh vair
The kiwi is green.
La lune brille.
lah loon bree
The moon shines.
La main écrit.
lah man ay-kree
The hand writes.
La neige tombe.
lah nezh tohm
The snow is falling.
L’orange est sucrée.
loh-rahnhzh eh soo-kray
The orange is sweet.
Papa lit.
pah-pah lee
Dad is reading.
Il a quinze ans.
eel ah kanz ahn
He is fifteen years old.
La voiture est rouge.
lah vwah-toor eh roozh
The car is red.
Le soleil brille.
luh soh-lay bree
The sun is shining.
La table est ronde.
lah tahbl eh rohnd
The table is round.
Une pomme est sur la table.
ewn pohm eh syr lah tahbl
An apple is on the table.
Le vin est bon.
luh van eh bohn
The wine is good.
Le wagon avance.
luh vah-gohn ah-vahns
The wagon is moving.
Le xylophone est petit.
luh gzee-loh-fohn eh puh-tee
The xylophone is small.
Le yaourt est froid.
luh yah-oor eh frwah
The yogurt is cold.
Le zèbre court.
luh zebʀ koor
The zebra is running.
French Accents
Accent aigu (´)
Appears only on é. Pronounced like a clear “ay”.
Frequent in past participles: mangé, passé, allé.
Accent grave (`)
Occurs on à, è, ù. On è, the sound is open “eh”.
à (to) vs a (has) — meaning changes.
Accent circonflexe (ˆ)
On â, ê, î, ô, û. It often marks a lost historical letter.
It can change meaning: mur (wall) vs mûr (ripe).
Tréma (¨)
On ë, ï, ü, ö. It forces you to pronounce the vowel separately.
Also in: naïf, maïs, Haïti.
Cédille (¸)
Only under ç, before a, o, u. It turns hard “k” into soft “s”.
Without it, garçon would sound wrong.
Spelling in French (Bonus)
In phone calls, administration, delivery, and customer support, French speakers often spell names and emails letter by letter.
English idea: this is very useful in real life for names, addresses and emails.
Examples
Quick Practice + Recap
Recap
Example: R = [ʁ], U = [y], H silent
Example: français, Noël, forêt
Example: Paris → P, A, R, I, S
- French letters do not always sound like English letters.
- Accents are mandatory in correct French spelling.
- Spelling aloud is useful in real-life situations.
- The best way to remember is to read, hear and repeat.
