How to Pronounce the Letters of the French Alphabet

Listen to the alphabet pronounced by a native speaker., Pronounce A like "Ah.", Pronounce B like "Bey" or "Bay.", Pronounce C like "seh.", Pronounce D like "deh.", Pronounce F like "ef," exactly how it is pronounced in English., Pronounce H like...

24 Steps 2 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Listen to the alphabet pronounced by a native speaker.

    You can use Youtube to find many examples of people saying the alphabet, and hearing it is often better than trying to read it.

    Search online to hear each letter as it is pronounced., Open your mouth wide to pronounce the first letter.

    This is similar to a "soft A" in English. , This is a soft sound, like saying "Hey" in English.

    Think of the first syllable in the word "baby."

    The is the first letter that varies strongly from the English equivalent.

    You can also soften the "ay" sound to be more like an "e," pronouncing it "Cey," like the first sound in the word "saving."

    Similar to B, C and, later on, V and T.

    All of these letters use the soft "eh" sound preceded by the letter in question. , The same sound is used in French as English.

    L, M, N, O, and S are also pronounced like their English counterparts. , The beginning is a soft A sound, like "ahhhh," followed by the "sh." It is similar to the sound of the slang word "gosh."

    I is pronounced like the E in "see" or "be."

    This is another easy one. , These are simple and easy.

    They sound just like the English version &rarr: "el," "em," "en," and "oh."

    It is as simple as the English word for making some money. , A simple "err" will suffice.

    It is similar to the first syllable of the English word "error."

    The S is the same sound in both languages. , A simple pronunciation, similar to B and D.

    Rhymes with "say."

    Again, this is a simple pronunciation.

    Rhymes with "day."

    This translates literally to "double V." Just like in English, W is essentially pronounced like 2 separate words
    -- "Doob-leh" and "veh." The word "double," in French, sounds a bit like "dooblay."

    Another way to think about it is "eex." X is not a very common French letter, and sounds more an English X, just with a long E sound before the letter. , Simple and easy, this is actually how many British people pronounce Z in English.
  2. Step 2: Pronounce A like "Ah."

  3. Step 3: Pronounce B like "Bey" or "Bay."

  4. Step 4: Pronounce C like "seh."

  5. Step 5: Pronounce D like "deh."

  6. Step 6: Pronounce F like "ef

  7. Step 7: " exactly how it is pronounced in English.

  8. Step 8: Pronounce H like "ahsh."

  9. Step 9: Pronounce I like "ee

  10. Step 10: " using a long E sound in English.

  11. Step 11: Pronounce K like "kah."

  12. Step 12: Pronounce L

  13. Step 13: and O like their American counterparts.

  14. Step 14: Pronounce P like "peh."

  15. Step 15: Pronounce R like "err

  16. Step 16: " but with a slightly rolled R. If you can't roll your Rs

  17. Step 17: that is okay.

  18. Step 18: Pronounce S like "es

  19. Step 19: " similar to English.

  20. Step 20: Pronounce T like "teh."

  21. Step 21: Pronounce V like "veh."

  22. Step 22: Pronounce W like "doob-leh-veh."

  23. Step 23: Pronounce X like "eecks."

  24. Step 24: Pronounce Z like "zed."

Detailed Guide

You can use Youtube to find many examples of people saying the alphabet, and hearing it is often better than trying to read it.

Search online to hear each letter as it is pronounced., Open your mouth wide to pronounce the first letter.

This is similar to a "soft A" in English. , This is a soft sound, like saying "Hey" in English.

Think of the first syllable in the word "baby."

The is the first letter that varies strongly from the English equivalent.

You can also soften the "ay" sound to be more like an "e," pronouncing it "Cey," like the first sound in the word "saving."

Similar to B, C and, later on, V and T.

All of these letters use the soft "eh" sound preceded by the letter in question. , The same sound is used in French as English.

L, M, N, O, and S are also pronounced like their English counterparts. , The beginning is a soft A sound, like "ahhhh," followed by the "sh." It is similar to the sound of the slang word "gosh."

I is pronounced like the E in "see" or "be."

This is another easy one. , These are simple and easy.

They sound just like the English version &rarr: "el," "em," "en," and "oh."

It is as simple as the English word for making some money. , A simple "err" will suffice.

It is similar to the first syllable of the English word "error."

The S is the same sound in both languages. , A simple pronunciation, similar to B and D.

Rhymes with "say."

Again, this is a simple pronunciation.

Rhymes with "day."

This translates literally to "double V." Just like in English, W is essentially pronounced like 2 separate words
-- "Doob-leh" and "veh." The word "double," in French, sounds a bit like "dooblay."

Another way to think about it is "eex." X is not a very common French letter, and sounds more an English X, just with a long E sound before the letter. , Simple and easy, this is actually how many British people pronounce Z in English.

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Victoria Vasquez

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