The verbs are distinctly pronounced as NO-EL, not NOLE. Forgetting an accent circonflexe can cause confusion to a French reader.Ĥ) The accent tréma separates to vowels so they are distinctly pronounced.įor example, in English, we have the name Joel that is pronounced like JOLE. For example, ou means “or.” Où means “where.” This accent makes a big difference in meaning. It doesn’t have an effect on pronunciation, but it does often change the meaning of a word. It doesn’t change the pronunciation of the word.ģ) The accent grave points diagonally downward on the letters A, E, and U. When an accent aigu is added to a verb, it often indicates the past tense of the verb.Ģ) The accent circonflexe makes a little rooftop on any vowel. When an accent aigu is added, dansé is now pronounced DAHNS-AY. It makes the E pronounced at the end of a word instead of being silent. Accent Nameġ) The accent aigu points diagonally upward, and it can only be placed on the letter E. There are five different French accent marks that can be added to specific letters to change the pronunciation or meaning of a word. Little accent marks you’ll see above letters like “à” or “û.” These marks change the pronunciation of the letter. Want the French alphabet song? Go ahead and play this song and re-read the letters above once more. At 6:54, you’ll hear the teachers reciting the alphabet. So, what are the letters of the French alphabet? And what are the phonetics (sounds)? Take a look below.Īlso, listen to this Free French audio lesson by – click here ( a popular French learning program ) and learn a bit about the French writing system. English speakers have to learn French accents to fully understand the French alphabet. Accents can change the pronunciation and meaning of letters and words.The letter I confuses English speakers because it sounds like the English letter E.The letters G and J are often confused by English speakers because they are switched in French.The letter R is difficult to pronounce because it requires air pushed from the back of the throat.What is difficult about the French alphabet? Many letters have very simple and easy-to memorize pronunciations.A few letters sound exactly the same as the English letters: F, L, M, N, O, S.An entire group of letters makes the “AY” sound: B, C, D, G, P, T, V.

Many letters sound somewhat similar to their English counterparts.(There are no characters to memorize or new letters to learn.) The letters look exactly the same as English letters.Similarities and Differences Between French and Englishīefore you jump into it, it’s good to know what’s easy and hard about the French alphabet. The stronger your knowledge of the French alphabet, the better you will be at forming French words and phrases. Just like in English, you piece together the letters to make sounds that compose words. Learning the alphabet is critical to being able to pronounce French words correctly. For French spelling, accents are just as important as letters. The French also have five accents that are used to distinguish words from one another and to change the pronunciation of certain letters. However, many of the letters are pronounced very differently in French than in English. It has the same 5 vowels and 21 consonants. The French alphabet contains the same 26 letters as the English alphabet. So, how many letters are in the French alphabet? Want a Free French Alphabet PDF worksheet? Download your free French worksheet here! Introduction to the French Alphabet

Japanese spelled with english alphabet