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👉 French reading rules »
👉 Acute Accent (é) »
Knowing the French alphabet is an essential first step in learning French. Click on any of the letters on this page and listen.
The French Alphabet: Pronunciation Guide
The Letters of the French Alphabet With Audio
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] |
French Alphabet Examples in Words
Difficult French 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
How to spell common names in French
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.
Further resources
While our page covers the basics of the French alphabet, French Today’s lesson, French Alphabet Sounds & Audio Pronunciation, does a great job explaining each sound and provides lots of useful insights!
Discover more useful French lessons
- French reading and pronunciation rules
- French numbers 1-100
- French vocabulary hub
- 30 Most Common French Greetings
- 25 most difficult French words to pronounce
- Guide to French accent marks
- Acute Accent: é
- È Grave Accent
French pronunciation | French grammar | Lessons by David Issokson
