In French, the final consonant of a word is almost never pronounced. In small, big, book or strong, the last consonant remains silent. The mouth closes before the end of the word, then the sound stops on the preceding vowel. This is the most useful rule for reading without adding an unnecessary consonant. A few very common words keep a final consonant audible, such as with, south or club, but most basic words follow the silent final consonant pattern. Orally, the word ends with the last heard vowel, not with the written final letter.

Silent final consonants at the end of a word

Idea
In French, the final consonant is often not pronounced at the end of a word.
In some common words, the last consonant is heard.
When there is a liaison, a final consonant can become voiced before the following word.

Finales -e, -es and -ent are often silent. In table, petites and parlent, the ending serves spelling, but it does not add a sound at the end. In reading, we keep the pronunciation of the word before the ending. Thus parler parlez se prononce comme parle in the sentence, and petites ends like petit to the ear when the final -es is mute. This economy of sound is found in many common words, especially in the singular and in verb forms.

Silent endings in -e, -es, -ent

Word	Notation	Description	Example
petite	pətit	The final e is often silent and does not change the main sound of the word.	La petite fusée danse sur la table.The petite rocket dances on the table.
peluches	pelyʃ	The final es is often pronounced as a single silent vowel at the end.	Les peluches prennent le thé.The peluches have tea.
chantent	ʃɑ̃t	The final ent is often silent at the end of a verb in the plural.	Ils chantent sous la pluie.They chantent in the rain.

At the end of a word, -er and -ez are most often pronounced /e/. The mouth closes a little, the lips remain relaxed, and the vowel is clear and brief. You hear the same sound in manger, parler and chez, even though the spelling changes. The -er group is very often found in the infinitive, while -ez appears in forms like vous parlez or in common words like chez. To recognize this sound, think of a closed vowel, close to the last sound of été.

Endings in er and ez that sound like e

Word	Notation	Description	Example
manger	mɑ̃ʒe	The ending er is often pronounced with the sound e.	Le chat veut manger une pomme imaginaire.The cat wants to eat an imaginary apple.
parlez	parle	The ending ez is often pronounced with the sound e.	Vous parlez avec le canard du voisin.You speak with the neighbor's duck.
danser	dɑ̃se	When a word ends in er, the sound e is often heard.	Ils vont danser sur la table du salon.They will dance on the living room table.

The sequence -tion is generally pronounced /sjɔ̃/. You first hear s, then a rapid glide to y and finally a nasal vowel. The tongue advances slightly for the i, then the air passes through the nose at the end. In information, nation and question, the spelling seems long, but the ear perceives only a single final sound. The -tion group belongs to many common nouns, and it is easily recognizable by this clear nasal ending.

Ending tion and its sound in -sion

Word	Notation	Description	Example
question	kɛstjɔ̃	The ending tion is often pronounced sjɔ̃ in a common word.	La question saute sur le bureau.The question jumps onto the desk.
potion	pɔsjɔ̃	In many words, tion keeps the sound sjɔ̃.	La potion brille dans la tasse.The potion shines in the cup.
action	aksjɔ̃	The ending tion is often read with the sound sequence sjɔ̃.	Cette action danse avec un chapeau.This action dances with a hat.

In adverbs like lentement, rapidement or vraiment, -ment is pronounced with a clear m and a nasal vowel just before. The word ends on /mɔ̃/ or on a form very close depending on the word. The lips close for m, then the sound continues in the nose. The ear thus hears a regular ending that is easy to spot. This ending appears mainly in adverbs formed from an adjective, and it remains very stable in speech.

Ending -ment in common adverbs

Word	Notation	Description	Example
doucement	dusmɑ̃	The ending ment is often pronounced with a nasal sound at the end.	Le hamster marche doucement sur le coussin.The hamster walks softly on the cushion.
vraiment	vrɛmɑ̃	In adverbs, ment often keeps a nasal final.	Le pirate est vraiment content de son chapeau.The pirate is really happy with his hat.
gentiment	ʒɑ̃timɑ̃	The ending ment is heard as a light nasal final.	La tortue répond gentiment au ballon.The turtle answers kindly to the ball.

The ending -age is often pronounced /aʒ/. The g becomes the same sound as in joli or jour. The mouth opens on a, then the air passes with a slight vibration at the back of the mouth to produce /ʒ/. You hear this sound in fromage, garage, plage and voyage. In writing, -age thus gives a simple result orally. The group is distinct from words like page, where the final sound remains different because the consonant changes.

Ending -age with a voiced sound

Word	Notation	Description	Example
fromage	fʁomaʒ	The final age is often pronounced with the sound aʒ.	Le fromage raconte une blague au pique nique.The fromage tells a joke at the picnic.
plage	plaʒ	At the end of a word, age often keeps the sound aʒ.	La plage porte des lunettes de soleil.The plage wears sunglasses.
garage	gaʁaʒ	The sequence age is often read with a voiced g at the end.	Le garage dort avec un vélo.The garage sleeps with a bicycle.

The endings -eau, -eu and -au often give a long or closed vowel, with no audible final consonant. In eau, beau and peu, the mouth keeps a rounded shape, with the lips more or less rounded depending on the sound. -eau is close to /o/, -au also, while -eu produces a sound more centered, close to /ø/ or /œ/ depending on the word. Nasal vowels like -an, -en, -on and -in are pronounced with air passing through both the mouth and the nose. In maman, vent, nom and pain, the final written consonant is not heard in the same way as in written French. The lips round for -on, while -an and -en open the mouth more. To work on these endings, you must mainly listen to the color of the vowel and the presence or absence of nasal resonance.

Final vowels and common nasal vowels

Word	Notation	Description	Example
bateau	bato	The sequence eau is often pronounced with the sound o.	Le bateau porte un chapeau rouge.The bateau wears a red hat.
feu	fø	The sequence eu often gives a mid rounded vowel.	Le feu lit un roman sous la lampe.The feu reads a novel under the lamp.
chaud	ʃo	The sequence au is often pronounced with the sound o.	Le chaud chocolat saute dans la tasse.The chaud chocolate jumps into the cup.
blanc	blɑ̃	The vowel an is often nasal.	Le blanc éléphant rêve d’un parapluie.The blanc elephant dreams of an umbrella.
vent	vɑ̃	The vowel en may be pronounced as a nasal sound close to an.	Le vent porte un bonnet invisible.The vent carries an invisible hat.
pont	pɔ̃	The vowel on is often pronounced with a rounded nasal sound.	Le pont chante au dessus de la rivière.The pont sings above the river.
pain	pɛ̃	The vowel in is often nasal and ends without a clear consonant.	Le pain porte des lunettes en papier.The pain wears paper glasses.

Several endings look very similar orally, especially -er, -é and -ez, which are often pronounced /e/. They are distinguished by grammar and by the word’s position in the sentence, not by the sound alone. The same principle holds for nasal endings like -an and -on: -an opens the mouth more, while -on rounds the lips. The groups -tion and -sion both end with a sound close to /sjɔ̃/, but the spelling often signals a different word, like nation and vision. Liaison sometimes adds a normally silent consonant when the following word begins with a vowel, as in les amis where the s is heard as /z/. It is also heard in petit ami or vous avez, where the final consonant changes the rhythm of the sentence. To properly spot these forms, you must listen to the entire sound chain, not just a single word.

Close endings and liaison effect

Idea
The difference between er and é often changes the shape of the word.
The ending ez is often recognizable in the second person plural.
The liaison can make a final consonant heard that is normally silent.
The endings an and on are distinguished by a different nasal color.
The sequences tion and sion often end with a close-sounding sound.