Learn the French Alphabet
Learning how to pronounce French letters is the first important step in French learning.
What is particular about the French alphabet?
If you’re native from an English-speaking country, the French alphabet looks like the English one: there are 26 letters which are composed of 6 vowels and 20 consonants.
However, letters are pronounced in a slightly different way. Besides, French letters are sometimes completed with small add-ons like accents or a cedilla that change their pronunciation.
Keep in mind that spelling the alphabet in French can be tricky, but practice will make things easier. If you take time to repeat the different letters, you will soon master this French alphabet.
Let’s listen to the different letters of the alphabet
First, click on each letter to learn how to pronounce them like a French native speaker.
Then practice! You can repeat the different letters as much as needed.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Now listen to the full alphabet in French!
Please pay attention to the following points :
1- The pronunciation of the letters g and j is swapped compared to English.
2- In French, the letter w is a “double v“.
3- The French pronunciation of the letter u is particularly tricky for foreign people. To pronounce it the right way, place your lips as if you were blowing out birthday candles.
4- French is a language full of pronunciation subtleties. After learning the French alphabet, don’t miss our pronunciation tab.
Add-ons to the alphabet
The French language can sometimes use accents on vowels and a cedilla on the letter c. The use of those add-ons on the alphabet letters changes their pronunciation. For example, the letter c is usually pronounced like a k, but when it has a cedilla, the letter ç turns out to be pronounced like some French letter s.
