French possesses four main nasal vowels. They are pronounced with the mouth open, like a normal vowel, but air also escapes through the nose. The four sounds are /ɑ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /ɔ̃/ and /œ̃/. They are heard in words like sans, vin, bon and un. Nasality comes from the position of the velum, which lets air pass to the nose while the vowel is forming. To recognize them, listen first to the colour of the vowel, then to the presence of the nasal passage. The relationship between spelling and sound often combines with phenomena like Liaison et Élision, which can modify what one hears in connected speech.

In sans, bon or vin, there is no [n] or [m] pronounced after the vowel. The written consonant serves to mark nasalization, not to add a syllable. The mouth remains open until the end of the sound, without closing the lips for a [m] or touching the palate with the tongue for a [n]. Compare pain and pan with panne and pomme: in panne and pomme, the final consonant is actually pronounced, so the vowel is not nasal. After a nasal vowel, avoid cutting the sound too quickly. The movement should stay continuous, with a passage toward the nose throughout the vowel. When the writing shows a silent final consonant, Lettres muettes helps to understand why it is not heard.

Common spellings of the nasal a sound

Idea
The sound ɑ̃ is often written an inside the word or at the end.
The sound ɑ̃ is often written am before p, b or m.
The sound ɑ̃ is often written en in many common words.

The sound /ɑ̃/ is written most often an or en. It is found in dans, chant, temps and vent. After m, it is often written am or em, as in jambe, chambre and empereur. The sound remains the same: only the spelling changes. To go from sound to writing, mainly identify the consonant that follows. In front of p, b or m, French often prefers m in spelling: champ, embarras. The group a + n gives a nasal vowel in an, while a alone in pa is not nasal. In reading, compare sans and sang, because both are pronounced with /ɑ̃/.

Common spellings of the nasal è sound

Idea
The sound ɛ̃ is often written in in common words.
The sound ɛ̃ is also often written im before p, b or m.
The sound ɛ̃ is sometimes written ain in common words.
The sound ɛ̃ is sometimes written ein in certain words.

The sound /ɛ̃/ appears under several spellings. The most common are in and im, as in vin, simple and matin. It is also found in ain, ein, yn and ym, for example pain, plein, sympa and Olympie. All of these spellings can represent the same sound. In speech, it sounds like a vowel between è and i, with clear nasality. In writing, the following consonant often helps to choose the right spelling. The word brin does not have the same sound as brun: the first ends with /ɛ̃/, the second with /œ̃/. To avoid reading confusions, associate the sound /ɛ̃/ with very common words like vin, pain and plein.

Common spellings of the on and un nasal sounds

Idea
The sound ɔ̃ is often written on in frequent words.
The sound ɔ̃ is also often written om before p, b or m.
The sound œ̃ is often written un in several common words.
The sound œ̃ is also written um in some scholarly or rare words.
Le son ɛ̃ s’écrit aussi yn dans quelques mots.
Le son ɛ̃ s’écrit enfin ym dans quelques mots rares.

The sound /ɔ̃/ is written mainly on and om. It is heard in bon, nom, long and tombe. The sound begins with a vowel close to an open o and nasalizes. The sound /œ̃/ is written mainly un and um, as in un, brun, parfum and humble. It is pronounced with a more anterior vowel, close to eu, then the nasality. The two sounds are different in standard French. To distinguish them, compare bon and brun, or ton and trun in an listening context. Homophones et ambiguïtés helps to spot words that sound very similar to the ear and those that remain distinct.

Pairs useful for hearing nasal vowels

Idea
Le son ɔ̃ s’écrit souvent on dans les mots fréquents.
Le son ɔ̃ s’écrit aussi souvent om devant p, b ou m.
Le son œ̃ s’écrit souvent un dans plusieurs mots usuels.
Le son œ̃ s’écrit aussi um dans quelques mots savants ou rares.

Nasal vowels easily merge when speech rate is fast. sans and vin do not start with the same vowel quality, and bon does not have the same resonance as brun. Compare pain and pan, vin and vent, bon and brun, lent and lune. To hear them well, listen to the central part of the vowel, not only the written consonant around. The useful minimal pairs are those where a single change in the nasal vowel changes the entire word. In speech, the mouth opening should not turn a nasal into an oral vowel plus another consonant. The ear progresses quickly when the four sounds are contrasted in short, frequent words. The timbre differences become easier to perceive with contrasts between close vowels and with the sequences of Liaison et Élision.

painteintevinbonbonventbonbeaupinlunditrain

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vin est une boisson faite avec du raisinbonbon est une petite friandise sucréelundi est le premier jour de la semainetrain est un véhicule qui roule sur des railsteinte est une nuance de couleurpain est un aliment fait de farine et d’eauvent est l’air qui bouge dehorspin est un arbre qui garde ses aiguillesbeau signifie qu’une chose plaît à l’œilbon désigne quelque chose de plaisant ou de réussi

Regional variants of nasal vowels

Word	Definition
bon	bon désigne quelque chose de plaisant ou de réussi.
beau	beau signifie qu’une chose plaît à l’œil.
vin	vin est une boisson faite avec du raisin.
vent	vent est l’air qui bouge dehors.
pain	pain est un aliment fait de farine et d’eau.
pin	pin est un arbre qui garde ses aiguilles.
train	train est un véhicule qui roule sur des rails.
teinte	teinte est une nuance de couleur.
bonbon	bonbon est une petite friandise sucrée.
lundi	lundi est le premier jour de la semaine.

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In many French accents, /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ stay clearly distinct, but in some regions they can come very close or be merged. One then hears almost the same nasalization type in words like brin and brun. The exact realization of nasalization also varies with context. In front of a vowel, the final written consonant may reappear via liaison, and the word no longer ends with the same sound impression. In un ami, the n in un often links to the following vowel, which changes the word’s continuity in the sentence. Spelling stays stable, but pronunciation depends on the surrounding sound, especially in words with a silent final and with the accent markers treated in Accents et Accentuation.

brunvinpain

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Dans cet usage standard, la voyelle nasale reste bien distincte dans les mots comme painDans certains accents, la nasalité peut varier selon le contexte quand une voyelle nasale précède une autre voyelleDans certains accents, le son de un peut se rapprocher de in

Regional Variants of Nasal Vowels

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
France	pain	In this standard usage, the nasal vowel remains clearly distinct in words like bread.	En France, pain garde un son nasal net.In France, bread keeps a clear nasal sound.
Belgique	brun	In certain accents, the sound of one may come close to in.	En Belgique, brun peut sonner très près de brin.In Belgium, brown can sound very close to strand.
Canada	vin	In some accents, nasality may vary depending on the context when a nasal vowel precedes another vowel.	Au Canada, vin peut changer un peu devant une voyelle.In Canada, wine may change a little before a vowel.

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