Knowing the French alphabet is an essential first step in learning French. Click on any of the letters on this page and listen.
French Alphabet pronunciation
Listen to the complete alphabet:
Use the following table to listen to the pronunciation of individual letters
(table works best in landscape).
Letter | Symbole | Sounds |
A | [a] | |
B | [be] | |
C | [se] | |
D | [de] | |
E | [ə] | |
F | [ɛf] | |
G | [ʒe] | |
H | [aʃ] | |
I | [i] | |
J | [ʒi] | |
K | [kɑ] | |
L | [ɛl] | |
M | [ɛm] | |
N | [ɛn] | |
O | [o] | |
P | [pe] | |
Q | [ky] | |
R | [ɛʀ]] | |
S | [ɛs] | |
T | [te] | |
U | [y] | |
V | [ve] | |
W | [dubləve] | |
X | [iks] | |
Y | [igʀɛk] | |
Z | [zɛd] |
Difficult words
Here is a list of some of the hardest French words to pronounce and how to spell them.
Un écureuil – squirrel
E-C-U-R-E-U-I-L
Une quincaillerie – hardware store
Q-U-I-N-C-A-I-L-L-E-R-I-E
Un yaourt – yogurt
Y-A-O-U-R-T
Trois – three
T-R-O-I-S
Une serrurerie – locksmithing
S-E-R-R-U-R-E-R-I-E
Reims – city in the region of La Marne
R-E-I-M-S
Une heure – hour
H-E-U-R-E
Une fourrure – fur
F-O-U-R-R-U-R-E
Caoutchouc – rubber
C-A-O-U-T-C-H-O-U-C
Common names
Now that you’ve gone through the entire French alphabet , here are the spellings for some common girl and boy names in the United States and in France.
English Girl Names in French
Olivia
O-L-I-V-I-A
Emma
E-M-M-A
Charlotte
C-H-A-R-L-O-T-T-E
Amelia
A-M-E-L-I-A
Ava
A-V-A
English Boy Names in French
James
J-A-M-E-S
Robert
R-O-B-E-R-T
John
J-O-H-N
David
D-A-V-I-D
Popular French Girl Names and Spelling
Jade
J-A-D-E
Louise
L-O-U-I-S-E
Laura
L-A-U-R-A
Alice
A-L-I-C-E
Ambre
A-M-B-R-E
Popular French Boy Names and Spelling
Léo
L-E-O
Gabriel
G-A-B-R-I-E-L
Raphaël
R-A-P-H-A-Ë-L
Louis
L-O-U-I-S
Jules
J-U-L-E-S
Now give it a try with your own name! You’ll be spelling like the French in no time.