French Alphabet: Learn the French Alphabet With Pronunciation Audio

Learning French starts with the basics, and you can't get more basic than the alphabet. The French alphabet has the same 26 letters as English. The tricky part? They sound completely different, and French adds accent marks that change how you pronounce things. If you've ever wondered why French spelling looks so intimidating or how to actually say those accented letters, this guide breaks down everything you need to know about pronunciation, accents, and the sounds that make French sound, well, French.🗣️

The French alphabet: same letters, different sounds

The French alphabet uses the Latin alphabet, just like English. You've got the same 26 letters from A to Z. When French speakers say their ABCs, they call it "l'alphabet français."

Here's the thing though. Even though the letters look identical, the way you pronounce them is totally different. The letter "J" in English sounds like "jay," but in French it sounds more like "zhee." The letter "R" is probably the most famous example because that guttural French R sound doesn't exist in English at all.

Let me give you the full rundown of how to say each letter:

The pronunciation differences matter because French spelling relies heavily on these sounds. When French kids learn to spell words out loud, they use these letter names.

Understanding French vowels and consonants

French has the same basic split between vowels and consonants as English, but the sounds are way more complex.

Vowels in the French letters

French treats Y as a vowel most of the time, calling it "i grec" which means "Greek i." But here's where French gets interesting: these basic vowels create way more sounds than in English.

Take the letter E. Depending on whether it has an accent mark or not, it can make four different sounds. The é (With an acute accent) sounds like "ay" in "day." The è (With a grave accent) sounds more open, like the "e" in "bed." The ê (With a circumflex) sounds similar to è. And a plain E without any accent can sound like "euh" or sometimes goes silent completely.

The vowel U is particularly brutal for English speakers. It's not the "oo" sound we use in English. You make it by rounding your lips like you're going to say "oo" but then try to say "ee" instead. It's that tight, fronted sound that sounds totally foreign to English ears.

Consonants

French consonants mostly work like English ones, with a few exceptions.

The 5 accents in French language and their diacritic marks

French uses five diacritic marks, and they actually serve important purposes. They're not just decorative.

L'accent aigu (Acute accent)

The acute accent only appears over the letter E, making é . This creates a closed "ay" sound, like in "café " or "été " (Summer). It's probably the most common accent you'll see in French words.

L'accent grave (Grave accent)

The grave accent appears most commonly over E (Making è ), but you'll also see it on à and ù. When it's over an E, it creates an open "eh" sound, like in "père " (Father) or "problème " (Problem). On A and U, the grave accent doesn't change the pronunciation at all. It just distinguishes between words, like "a" (Has) versus "à" (To/At).

L'accent circonflexe (Circumflex)

The circumflex looks like a little hat: ê, â, î, ô, û. Historically, it often marked where an S used to exist in older French (like "forêt" used to be "forest"). The circumflex can slightly change the vowel sound, making it a bit longer or more open, but honestly? In modern spoken French, especially in casual conversation, the difference is pretty subtle. You'll see it in words like "être " (To be) or "hôtel " (Hotel).

There's been some debate about the end of the circumflex in recent spelling reforms, but it's still widely used and taught in 2026.

La cédille (Cedilla)

The cedilla is that little hook under the C: ç. It changes the hard "k" sound of C into a soft "s" sound. You'll see it in "français " (French) or "garçon " (Boy). The cedilla only appears before A, O, or U, because C already makes an "s" sound before E and I.

Le tréma (Dieresis)

The tréma appears as two dots over a vowel: ë, ï, ü. It tells you to pronounce that vowel separately from the one before it. For example, "naïve " has the tréma so you say "na-eev" instead of blending the ai together. You also see it in "Noël " (Christmas).

How to pronounce è vs é

This is one of the most common questions beginners ask, and it's actually pretty important for French pronunciation.

The é (Accent aigu) is a closed sound. Your mouth is more closed, and the sound is tighter and higher. It sounds like the "ay" in "day" or "say," but without the slight "ee" glide that English adds. Think of words like "déjà " or "téléphone ."

The è (Accent grave) is an open sound. Your mouth opens wider, your jaw drops a bit more. It sounds like the "e" in "bed" or "get." You'll hear this in "très " (Very) or "mère " (Mother).

Here's a practical tip: é sounds happier and brighter. è sounds more relaxed and open. If you're spelling something out loud in French, you'd say "e accent aigu" for é and "e accent grave" for è.

French ligatures: æ and œ

French uses two ligatures, which are characters formed by combining two letters.

The œ ligature combines O and E, and you'll see it in common words like "cœur " (Heart) or "sœur " (Sister). It's pronounced kind of like the "e" in "her" or "bird," that neutral vowel sound.

The æ ligature combines A and E, but it's pretty rare in modern French. You might see it in some Latin-derived words or names.

These ligatures count as single vowel sounds when you're pronouncing French words. They're holdovers from how French evolved from Latin over centuries.

Silent letters in the French vocabulary

French has a reputation for not pronouncing half the letters it writes, and that's honestly not far from the truth. Silent letters are everywhere.

The word "petit " (Small) is pronounced "puh-tee," not "puh-teet." The final T is silent. Same with "beaucoup " (A lot), where the P is silent, or "temps " (Time), where both the P and S are silent.

You can remember this with the word "careful " (or the French mnemonic "CaReFuL").

The word "hôtel " sounds like "oh-tel," and "homme " (Man) sounds like "ohm."

For example, "les enfants " (The children) is pronounced "lay-zahn-fahn," where you suddenly pronounce the S in "les" as a Z sound because "enfants" starts with a vowel. This makes French flow smoothly, but it can make it really hard to tell where one word ends and another begins when you're starting out.

Common mistakes English speakers make (affected by the English alphabet)

English speakers learning French tend to make the same pronunciation mistakes over and over.

Tips for learning French pronunciation

Reading about pronunciation only gets you so far. You need to hear the sounds and practice making them yourself.

Anyway, if you want to actually practice reading French in real contexts, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words instantly while watching French shows or reading French articles. The popup dictionary shows you pronunciation, definitions, and lets you save words for review later. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

Learn French with Migaku

Is there a French alphabet song?

Of course! Learning the French alphabet via songs and other media is easier and more interesting than memorizing a list! That applies to other aspects of French study as well.

Use the Internet for what it's for: to learn!