The French alphabet has exactly the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, so there’s nothing new to memorize there. What is different is how several of those letters are pronounced (as well as the fact that some of the letters can appear with accent marks). Understanding those differences is your first real step toward learning French.
This page covers the name of each letter in French (useful for spelling things out loud), how it’s typically pronounced, and the five accent marks that modify certain letters. For a deeper look at how those accents affect spelling patterns, see our page on French spelling and accent marks. For a broader overview of French sounds, see our guide to French pronunciation.
The French Alphabet: Letters and Their Names
Every letter in French has a name, just as we say “jay” for the letter j or “zee” for z in English. Knowing these names matters in practice: you’ll need them any time you spell out your name, an address, or a word on the phone.
The table below shows each letter, its French name (written out phonetically), and an example word. The pronunciation column uses plain English sounds, so no special notation is required.
| Letter | French Name | Pronounced Like… | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | ah (as in “spa”) | art |
| B | bé | b (same as English) | billet |
| C | sé | s before e/i/y; k before a/o/u | cime, café |
| D | dé | d (same as English) | dame |
| E | uh | uh (as in “alone”) | le |
| F | èf | f (same as English) | ferme |
| G | zhé | zh before e/i/y (like “s” in “pleasure”); g before a/o/u | girafe, garage |
| H | ash | always silent | hameau |
| I | ee | ee (as in “meet”) | ici |
| J | zhee | zh (same as soft g, like “s” in “pleasure”) | java |
| K | ka | k (same as English) | kilo |
| L | èl | l (same as English) | lune |
| M | èm | m (same as English) | malle |
| N | èn | n (same as English) | natte |
| O | oh | o (as in “roll”) | mot |
| P | pé | p (same as English) | piscine |
| Q | ku | k (hard c, as in “carry”) | barque |
| R | èr | a light gargling sound from the back of the mouth | rêve |
| S | ès | s at start of word or before/after consonant; z between vowels | masque, basilic |
| T | té | t (same as English) | tennis |
| U | u | no English equivalent: say “ee” then round your lips | tu |
| V | vé | v (same as English) | vivace |
| W | doublé vé | v (as in “valley”) | wagon |
| X | eeks | gz (as in “exact”); ks (as in “excellent”) | exact, exquis |
| Y | ee grèk | y (as in “yes”) | yaourt |
| Z | zèd | z (same as English) | zeste |
Letters That Work the Same as in English
A good number of French consonants are pronounced exactly like their English counterparts. Once you know which ones they are, you can stop thinking about them entirely.
The following letters behave identically in both languages: b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, t, v, and z. If you see any of those in a French word, pronounce them the way you would in English.
Letters That Work Differently
A handful of letters behave in ways that catch English speakers off guard. These are worth a closer look.
C
The letter c has two sounds depending on what follows it. Before e, i, or y, it’s a soft s sound. Before a, o, or u, it’s a hard k sound. The cedilla (ç) overrides this rule and always gives the c a soft s sound regardless of the letter that follows.
G and J
These two letters confuse English speakers because their sounds are essentially swapped compared to English. In French, g before e, i, or y produces the soft “zh” sound, the same as the “s” in the English word “pleasure.” And j always makes that same “zh” sound, never the hard English “j.” Meanwhile, g before a, o, or u is a hard g, just like in English.
H
The h in French is always silent. You never pronounce it. However, there’s an important distinction between a mute h and an aspirate h, which affects whether elision and liaison apply (more on those below). For most practical purposes at the beginner level, just remember: the h itself makes no sound.
R
The French r is probably the most distinct sound in the language. It’s produced at the back of the throat, almost like a very light gargling sound. There’s no real English equivalent. It takes practice, but don’t let it discourage you. Even an imperfect French r won’t stop anyone from understanding you.
S
The letter s sounds like the English “s” at the beginning of a word or when it’s next to a consonant. But when s falls between two vowels, it sounds like a “z.” This is why maison sounds like “may-zohn,” not “may-sohn.”
U
French u has no equivalent in English. The closest way to approximate it: start by making the “ee” sound (as in “meet”), then slowly round and pucker your lips without changing the position of your tongue. The result is the French u. It appears in extremely common words like tu, du, and sur, so it’s worth the effort to practice.
W
W is rare in French and mostly appears in borrowed words. When it does appear, it’s usually pronounced like an English “v” rather than a “w.” The French name for the letter, doublé vé (“double v”), reflects this.
French Accent Marks
French uses five accent marks, and they’re not optional. Leaving one off is a spelling error, the same as leaving out a letter would be. Accents serve three purposes: they can change how a vowel is pronounced, they can distinguish between two words that would otherwise look identical, or they indicate that a letter (usually an s) that existed in older French was dropped from the modern spelling.
| Accent Mark | Name | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu | Only appears on e. Changes the sound to “ay” (as in “day”). Example: café, été |
| è, à, ù | accent grave | On è, produces an open “eh” sound (as in “met”). On à and ù, doesn’t change the sound but distinguishes meaning. Example: où (where) vs. ou (or) |
| â, ê, î, ô, û | accent circonflexe | Usually marks a letter dropped from the older spelling (often an s). Compare forêt (forest) and hôpital (hospital). Also distinguishes some homonyms. |
| ç | cédille | Only appears under c. Forces the c to be soft (an “s” sound) before a, o, or u, where it would otherwise be hard. Example: garçon, français |
| ë, ï, ü | tréma | Placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to show that each vowel is pronounced separately. Example: Noël (noh-EHL), naïf |
Two More Things Worth Knowing: Liaison and Elision
Once you’re reading and listening to French, you’ll notice two patterns that affect how words connect to each other.
Liaison is the linking of a word’s final consonant to the beginning vowel of the next word. The consonant is normally silent on its own but connects to a following vowel. For example, vous is pronounced “voo” on its own, but in vous arrivez the s links to the following vowel and it becomes “voo-zah-ree-vay.”
Elision is what happens when a word ending in a vowel is immediately followed by a word starting with a vowel (or mute h): the first vowel is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe. This is why je arrive becomes j’arrive, and le hôtel becomes l’hôtel. The two words slide together rather than clashing.
Both of these features are part of what gives French its flowing, musical quality. You don’t need to master all the rules right away. As you read and listen more, they’ll become second nature.
Pronunciation Audio
Hear the French alphabet pronounced aloud:
Where to Go Next
The alphabet is your starting point, but French pronunciation goes deeper than individual letters. French vowel combinations, nasal vowels, and consonant clusters all have their own patterns, and they’re what really determine whether you sound natural or not. Our French pronunciation guide walks through all of that in detail.
If you’re also curious about how accent marks interact with spelling rules across the whole language, our page on French spelling covers that thoroughly.
For learners who want structured audio-based pronunciation practice alongside grammar, Rocket French is worth a look. It’s one of the few courses that treats pronunciation as a core skill from the very beginning, with voice-comparison tools that give you feedback on your own speech.
