Speak To The World
About French Consonants Chart
Want to know do you know the consonants when it comes to French language? In articulatory phonetics, the French consonant is really a speech sound that is articulated by using total or perhaps partial closure within the vocal tract. The word consonant can also be used to talk about a letter of the French alphabet that signifies a consonant sound. Learn More
French Consonants Chart
 Learn French Language Online | ) |
French Consonants in Alphabet
| Note: Most final consonants are silent except for c, q, f, l, and r (except in the combination "-er", normally found in verb infinitives). Note that the plural ending "-ent" for verbs is never pronounced, though it is pronounced in other words. | |
| b | like "b" in "bed" |
| c | like "k" in "sky" (before "a", "o", and "u" or before a consonent), like "s" in "sun" (before "e", "i", and "y") |
| รง | like "s" in "sun" (this letter can only be written before "a" ,"o", or "u") |
| d | like "d" in "death" (but a bit heavier than in English, and pronounced on the tongue) |
| f | like "f" in "fun" |
| g | like "g" in "go" (before "a", "o", and "u" or before a consonent), like "g" in "sabotage" (before "e", "i" and "y"). |
| gu | like "g" in "goose" (before "e", "i", "y") |
| gn | like "ny" in "canyon". This is particularly difficult when followed by oi, as in baignoire (beh-NYWAR) "bathtub". |
| h | usually silent, but may sometimes prevent a liaison with the former word |
| j | like "g" in "sabotage" |
| k | like "k" in "sky" (not native to French) |
| l, ll | like "l" in "like"; some exceptions for "ll" in the combination "ille" (pronounced ee-y) |
| m | like "m" in "me" |
| n | like "n" in "nurse" (but see Nasals below) |
| p | like "p" in "sport" |
| q(u) | most of the time like "k" in "sky" (not like "qu" in "square"); in some words like "qu" in "square" (generally before an "a") or the same but with a French u (generally before an "i") |
| r | guttural; kind of like coughing up a hairball (similar to a German "ch") |
| s | like "s" in "sun"; like "z" in "zero" (between two vowels) |
| ch | like "sh" in "bush"; sometimes like "k" in "sky" (in words of Greek origin mostly) |
| t, th | like "t" in "stop" |
| v | like "v" in "value" |
| w | only in foreign words, mostly like "w" in "wise" and sometimes like "v" in "value" (in particular, "wagon" is "vagon" and "WC" is "VC"!) |
| x | either ks (like "x" in "exit") or gz |
| z | like "z" in "zero" |
| ph | like "f" in "fun" and like "ph" in "Philadelphia" |
French Diphthongs in Alphabet
| ail | like "i" in "fight" |
| ill | either literally, or like "y" in "three years", with some exceptions (ville is veel, fille is feey) |
Click on the links directly below to find out a number of practical French holiday key phrases that are organized by theme. For each travel word or phrase in French, you will find the English translation.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.