What are phonetic symbols used for?
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides a universal system for transcribing speech sounds in all the world’s languages.
Phonetic symbols make it possible to represent sounds visually:
one symbol corresponds to one sound, and one sound corresponds to one symbol.
What is phonetics?
Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds: how they are produced, transmitted, and perceived.
It is not based on spelling, but on what is actually pronounced, which can be very different from what we imagine when reading a word.
A French pronunciation or accent reduction coach uses phonetics to identify and explain specific errors, so they can correct you more effectively and guide you with precision.
Phonetic symbols: are they useful for improving your French accent?
They can be helpful when learning a foreign language or refining your pronunciation, because they allow you to:
Understand how to pronounce a word without having heard it
Visualize its pronunciation
French nasal vowels can be difficult to tell apart — hence the use of phonetic notation, which provides a visual cue.
You can recognize these nasal vowels by the “tilde,” the small wave-shaped mark above them.
Phonetic symbol charts for French sounds
The charts below include:
- All the symbols used to represent French sounds
- Written examples showing the sounds in different positions within words (initial, medial, final)
- Audio recordings (with a real human voice 😊)
Let’s get started!
Contents
French oral vowels
In French, we distinguish between the six written vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y) and the 16 vowel sounds: 12 oral vowels and 4 nasal vowels.
A vowel is called oral when the air flows out only through the mouth, and nasal when the air flows out through both the mouth and the nose.
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Phonetic symbols for the 12 oral vowel sounds
[i]
Iris, ville, qui
[iʁis], [vil], [ki]
[e]
Eté, général, mangé, manger, dernier, premier
[ete], [ʒeneʁal], [mɑ̃ʒe], [dɛʁnje], [prəmje]
[ɛ]
Elle, père, paire, terre, seine, scène
[ɛl], [pɛr], [tɛr], [sɛn]
[a]
Année, démocratie, la, femme
[ane], [demokrasi], [la], [fam]
[ɑ]
Pâte, théâtre
[pɑt], [teɑtrʁ]
[y]
Unique, étudiant, il a eu, pull, tu
[ynik], [etydjɑ̃], [ilay], [pyl], [ty]
[u]
Où, ou, oublier, poule, tout
[u], [ublije], [pul], [tu]
[ø]
Peu, Europe, euro, cheveux
[pø], [øʁɔp], [øʁo], [ʃəvø]
[ə]
Je, me, te, se, le, demain, besoin
[ʒə], [mə], [tə], [sə], [lə], [dəmɛ̃], [bəzwɛ̃]
[œ]
Heure, Valeur, Seul, Coeur
[œʁ], [valœʁ], [sœl], [kœʁ]
[o]
Obéir, aujourd’hui, nouveau, pot
[obeiʁ], [oʒuʁdɥi], [nuvo], [po]
[ɔ]
Homme, Pomme, Téléphone, Corps
[ɔm], [pɔm], [telefɔn], [kɔʁ]
A few things to note
Do the French still distinguish between [ɑ] and [a]?
The distinction between the [ɑ] in pâte and the [a] in patte is observed less and less.
A large majority of French speakers no longer make this distinction.
However, I have included both sounds here for the sake of completeness, and because the distinction may still be necessary in certain contexts (in theater, for example).
What is a "closed E"?
The sounds [ə] and [ø] are very close to each other.
They are called “closed E” because they are pronounced with rounded lips.
These “closed E” sounds contrast with [e] and [ɛ], which are called “open E.”
These two sounds are pronounced with the lips spread, as in a smile.
It’s essential to train your ear to hear the difference between these sounds — and to get your lips used to rounding when pronouncing a closed E.
You can practice this with this series of training videos.
Is there really a difference between /ə/ and /ø/?
[ə]: The sound of the e caduc (also called the “schwa”) is sometimes unstable.
It’s referred to as the e caduc or “silent e” because it is often dropped in fast speech.
When it is pronounced, it is mainly found in unstressed positions.
[ø]: This sound is stable, more “focused” than [ə], and always pronounced, even in rapid speech.
The lips are rounded, as with [ə], but slightly more tense.
Nasal vowels
There are four nasal vowels in spoken French (in Metropolitan France).
The nasal vowel [œ̃] tends to disappear in favor of [ɛ̃].
As a result, more and more people pronounce un or brun with the sound [ɛ̃] instead of [œ̃].
Note: The nasal vowels used in France are very different from those used in French-speaking Canada.
The key with nasal vowels is not to pronounce the “n” or the “m” that follows the vowel.
Phonetic symbols for the 4 nasal vowels
[ɑ̃]
L’an, Lent, Enfant, Attend, Paon
[lɑ̃], [ɑ̃fɑ̃], [atɑ̃], [pɑ̃]
[ɛ̃]
Lin, Ainsi, Atteint, Thym, Brin
[lɛ̃], [ɛ̃si], [atɛ̃], [tɛ̃], [bʁɛ̃]
[œ̃]
L’un, Quelqu’un, Humble, Parfum, Brun
[lœ̃], [kɛlkœ̃], [œ̃bl], [paʁfœ̃], [bʁœ̃]
[ɔ̃]
Long, A-t-on ? Non, Nom, Combien
[lɔ̃], [atɔ̃], [nɔ̃], [kɔ̃bjɛ̃]
French consonants
There are 18 consonant sounds in French.
A consonant slows down or blocks the flow of air.
Some consonants, such as [p], [t], [k], [f], [ʃ], and [s], are voiceless (they do not make the vocal cords vibrate), while others, such as [b], [d], [g], [v], [ʒ], and [z], are voiced (they do make the vocal cords vibrate).
You’ll hear the difference in the audio recordings included in the chart below.
Phonetic symbols for the 18 consonant sounds
[p]
Parent, aperçu, apporter, carpe, absent
[paʁɑ̃], [apɛʁsy], [apɔʁte], [kaʁp], [apsɑ̃]
[b]
Bébé, gobelet, robe
[bebe], [goble], [rɔb]
[t]
Tête, détacher, tôt
[tɛt], [detaʃe], [to]
[d]
Dent, adorer, budget, corde
[dɑ̃], [adoʁe], [bydʒe], [kɔʁd]
[k]
Calin, qui, coq, koala, accueil, chorale
[kalɛ̃], [ki], [kɔk], [koala], [akœj], [koral]
[g]
Gâteau, agacer, exemple, orgue
[gato], [agase], [ɛɡzɑ̃pl], [ɔʁɡ]
[f]
Famille, pharmacie, effrayé, éléphant, chef
[famij], [faʁmasi], [efʁɛje], [elefɑ̃], [ʃɛf]
[v]
Va, vraiment, avion, rêve, wagon
[va], [vʁɛmɑ̃], [avjɔ̃], [ʁɛv], [vagɔ̃]
[s]
Série, ça, associé, science, nation, observer
[seʁi], [sa], [asosje], [sjɑ̃s], [nasjɔ̃], [opsɛʁve],
[z]
Zèbre, oser, décision, ils‿ont, les‿amis
[zɛbʁ], [ose], [desizjɔ̃], [ilzɔ̃], [lezami]
[ʃ]
Chat, acheter, schéma
[ʃa], [aʃte], [ʃema]
[ʒ]
Je, juger, germe, geai, âge
[ʒə], [ʒyʒe], [ʒɛʁm], [ʒɛ], [aʒ]
[ʁ]
Rouge, abricot, Paris, terre, bonjour, tarte
[ʁuʒ], [abʁiko], [paʁi], [tɛʁ], [bɔ̃ʒuʁ], [taʁt]
[l]
Lune, allié, elle, libellule, calme
[lyn], [alje], [ɛl], [libelyl], [kalm]
[m]
Main, amer, immense, aime
[mɛ̃], [amɛʁ], [imɑ̃s], [ɛm]
[n]
Nuage, ennui, anis, bonne
[nyaʒ], [ɑ̃nɥi], [anis], [bɔn]
[ɲ]
Champagne, soigner, ignorer
[ʃɑ̃paɲ], [swaɲe], [iɲoʁe]
[ŋ]
Parking, standing, jogging, camping
[paʁkiŋ], [stɑ̃diŋ], [dʒoɡiŋ], [kɑ̃piŋ]
Some observations
I thought there were several symbols for R?
Yes, there are several symbols used for R.
However, it is generally accepted to use the inverted R [ʁ] to represent the non-rolled French R.
This is a guttural R, also known as a uvular (or dorso-velar) R, produced without vibration — sometimes referred to as the “Parisian R.”
It is the most common R in what is considered “standard” French.
That said, you’ll notice that in French the R is pronounced much more lightly at the end of a word or before a voiceless consonant such as [p] or [t].
Whether the R is produced with more or less intensity does not change the meaning of a word.
For the sake of clarity and simplicity — and as is often done in phonetics textbooks for teaching French as a foreign language — I will stick to the phonetic notation [ʁ], or /r/ when using phonological notation.
Semivowels / semiconsonants
Semivowels (or semiconsonants) [j], [ɥ], and [w] share features of both vowels and consonants — which is where they get their name.
In French, [j], [ɥ], and [w] correspond to the vowel sounds [i], [y], and [u], but with:
less space between the tongue and the palate,
a shorter duration (they function as transition sounds).
In certain words, depending on the speed of speech, the same word can shift from a full vowel to a semivowel. For example, louer may be pronounced in two syllables [lu.e], or as a single glide [lwe].
This is however not the case of all the words that contain a semivowel, which must be pronounced with a glide (cuisine, juin, mouette…)
You’ll find a few tongue twisters to practice the sound [ɥi] on my SoundCloud account.
[w]
Louis, oui, loi
[lwi], [wi], [lwa]
[ɥ]
Huit, lui, bruit, juin, cuisine, cuir
[ɥit], [lɥi], [bʁɥi], [ʒɥɛ̃], [kɥizin], [kɥiʁ]
[j]
Yoga, pied, oreiller, soleil, feuille, fille
[joga], [pje], [oʁɛje], [solɛj], [fœj], [fij]