Today we’ll look at the 25 most difficult French words to pronounce. Have you ever struggled with words that are almost seemingly impossible to say such as écureuil (squirrel) or accueil (reception, front desk)? Then, this lesson is just for you!
Pronunciation of the 25 hardest French Words
I wrote this list based on 10+ years of teaching and asking for suggestions on the FrenchLearner Facebook group. Spend some time here and really listen. Don’t ignore the explanations as they really do help!
1. Un
The word un [œ̃] is the masculine-singular indefinite aritcle meaning “a” or “an”. The lesson on our site covers the French articles in detail.
2. Écureuil
Écureuil means squirrel in French. The -euil is particularly hard to pronounce. Don’t say the -l! The phonetic symbols for this word are: [ekyʀœj]. A ryhming word which could have made our list is: fauteuil (armchair).
3. Grenouille
Grenouille [gʀənuj] means “frog” in French. The –ouille sounds like “ou-ee”. Don’t pronounce the -ll’s.
4. Quincaillerie
Quincaillerie [kɛ̃kɑjʀi] means hardware store. The –ai sounds like “I” and the ll’s are not pronounced. The -in is a nasal sound.
5. Millefeuille
Millefeuille [milfœj], literally meaning one thousand sheets, is a kind of pastery. Pronounce the -ll’s for mille but don’t pronounce the -ll for feuille. Translations for feuille include leaf and sheet of paper.
6. Aujourd’hui
Aujourd’hui [oʒuʀdɥi] means today in French. I did a Word of the Day lesson on this word in this post.
7. Euro
Many students struggle with the word euro [øʀo]. It sounds like “uh-roh”. Can you say it?
8. Heure
Heure [œʀ] (hour) is another classic that students find difficult. Do not pronounce the -h at all.
9. Aéroport
What makes aéroport [aeʀopɔʀ] (airport) difficult is that you must pronounce both the a and the é next too each other in two distinct syllables. The -e with the upward slanting accent aigu (acute accent) sounds like ay as in “play”.
10. Serrurier, serrurière
Serrurier [seʀyʀje] means “locksmith”. Serrurière [seʀyʀjɛʀ] is the feminine form. What makes this word hard is the multiple -r sounds.
11. Sœur
Sœur [sœʀ] means “sister” in French. This word made our list as many people have trouble with the œ sound. This is called l’e dans l’o (the e in the o) and is found in the word cœur.
12. œil
The word œil [œj] means “eye”. The phonetic œil is [œj]. Do not pronounce the -l.
13. Voiture
Voiture [vwatyʀ] means “car” in French. This word made our list because of the tricky -ure sound. Another tricky word which rhymes with voiture is confiture (jam, jelly). J’ai laissé la confiture dans la voiture (I left the jam in the car).
14. Accueil, accueillir
The noun accueil [akœj] translates to welcome or reception desk. It is also use to mean “homepage” for websites. This is one of the hardest words in French to pronounce. Just click on the audio below and listen a few times until you get it. The verb accueillir means to host or welcome.
15. Huile
Huile [ɥil] means “oil” in French. Totally ignore the -h and say “u-ee-l”.
16. Monsieur
Monsieur [məsjø] means “sir” or “mister”. The pronunciation sounds like “muh-see-uh”. Again, click and listen.
17. Beurre
Beurre [bœʀ] means butter. The word made our list as people don’t know what to do with the -eu. It sounds like “buhr”.
18. Eau
Eau [o] means water. A few people on Facebook asked to have this word included. It simple sounds like “oh”.
19. Chirurgien
Chirurgien [ʃiʀyʀʒjɛ̃] means “surgeon”. What makes this word tricky is the -irur. In your mind, try seperating the syllables: chi-rur-gien. Don’t pronounce the final -n.
20. Escroquerie
Escroquerie [ɛskʀɔkʀi] means swindle or fraud. Again, this word was requested on Facebook. Try using technique of separating the syllables on this word: es-cro-que-rie.
21. Dehors
Dehors [dəɔʀ] (outside) is a classic that students dislike. Basically, say 2-or or “deux-or”. Try pushing the two syllables together.
22. Caoutchouc
Caoutchouc [kautʃu] means rubber. Listen to Marie as she reads the word: Ca-ou-chou(c). The final -c is silent.
23. En haut
En haut [ɑ̃-o] means upstairs. This was also requested on Facebook. Notice that 1) Marie does not do a liaison and 2) The -h on haut (meaning high) is silent.
24. Yaourt
Many people have a hard time with yaourt [ˈjauʀt] (yogurt). Separate the word into two syllables (ya-ourt) and pronounce the final -t. This goes against the French reading rules which say to ignore the final consonant if a word in two consonants (such as Robert).
25. Cuillère
Cuillère [kɥijɛʀ] means spoon. Students typically don’t know what to do with the -uill. Simply pronounce the word like “kwee-yayr”.
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