French rests on a small system of vowels, consonants and semivowels that are distinguished by the place of the tongue, the opening of the mouth and the rounding of the lips. The relation between letter and sound is often regular, but several spellings can correspond to the same phoneme, as in Alphabet and Accents and Accentuation. The reduction of silent letters, liaison and elision also strongly modify the sound flow, as seen in Silent Letters and Liaison and Elision.

French oral vowels are produced with air exiting only through the mouth, with no nasal passage. The main sounds are a, e, i, o, u and y, and they are distinguished mainly by mouth opening and tongue position. French particularly contrasts u and ou, because y requires rounded lips with a high tongue, while ou keeps a different articulatory setting.

MotWord	NotationNotation	DescriptionDescription	ExempleExample
AA	aa	La voyelle est ouverte et brève, avec une bouche largement dégagée.The vowel is open and brief, with the mouth broadly open.	Le mot a sonne clair, et la syllabe reste ouverte.The word a sounds clear, and the syllable remains open.
II	ii	La voyelle est fermée et antérieure, avec la langue haute.The vowel is closed and anterior, with the tongue high.	Le mot lit garde une voyelle tendue, et le rythme reste net.The word lit retains a tense vowel, and the rhythm stays clear.
OO	oo	La voyelle est arrondie et moyenne, avec les lèvres projetées.The vowel is rounded and mid, with the lips projected.	Le mot eau montre une qualité fermée, et la bouche reste ronde.The word eau has a closed quality, and the mouth remains rounded.
UU	yy	La voyelle est fermée et arrondie, avec la langue haute et les lèvres serrées.The vowel is closed and rounded, with the tongue high and the lips pressed together.	Le mot lune exige un geste précis, et la bouche avance peu.The word lune requires a precise gesture, and the mouth moves forward only a little.
OUOU	uu	La voyelle est fermée et postérieure, avec un arrondissement différent de y.The vowel is closed and back, with a different rounding than y.	Le mot loup sonne plus profond, et la langue recule.The word loup sounds deeper, and the tongue recedes.

Nasal vowels occur when part of the air passes through the nose, giving a more resonant timbre. The main nasal vowels are an, en, on, in and un, with useful differences between spellings and sounds, as in Homophones and Ambiguities. In standard French, the nasal sound is heard on the vowel itself, without adding a final nasal consonant.

MotWord	NotationNotation	DescriptionDescription	ExempleExample
ANAN	ɑ̃ɑ̃	La voyelle est nasale et ouverte, avec un passage d’air partiel par le nez.The vowel is nasal and open, with partial air passage through the nose.	Le mot blanc sonne nasal, et la voyelle reste ample.The word blanc sounds nasal, and the vowel remains ample.
ENEN	ɛ̃ɛ̃	La voyelle est nasale et plus fermée, avec une qualité proche de an dans plusieurs mots.The nasal vowel is nasale and more closed, with a quality close to 'an' in several words.	Le mot matin garde une couleur nasale, et la syllabe demeure légère.The word matin retains a nasal color, and the syllable remains light.
ONON	ɔ̃ɔ̃	La voyelle est nasale et arrondie, avec les lèvres plus projetées.The vowel is nasal and rounded, with the lips more protruded.	Le mot nom montre une rondeur nette, et la résonance change.The word nom shows a definite roundness, and the resonance changes.
ININ	ɛ̃ɛ̃	La graphie peut signaler la même voyelle nasale que en dans de nombreux contextes.The spelling can signal the same nasal vowel as in en in many contexts.	Le mot vin contient une voyelle nasale, et la consonne finale n’est pas dite.The word vin contains a nasal vowel, and the final consonant is not pronounced.
UNUN	œ̃œ̃	La voyelle est nasale et médiane, avec une couleur plus rare.The vowel is nasal and mid, with a rarer color.	Le mot brun garde un timbre nasal, et la bouche reste souple.The word brun retains a nasal timbre, and the mouth stays relaxed.

The mute e is a written vowel that is often reduced or disappears in rapid spoken French. It frequently appears in the forms e and e in the middle of a word, then fades away depending on the rhythm, the sentence and the neighboring consonants. This alternation is essential for understanding the audible reading of words in Silent Letters and the sequences described in Liaison and Elision.

IdéeIdea	ExempleExample
Le e caduc peut se prononcer dans un débit soigné.The mute e can be pronounced in careful speech.	Je le regarde avec attention, et la syllabe reste audible.I look at it carefully, and the syllable remains audible.
Le e caduc peut disparaître dans un débit rapide.The mute e can disappear in rapid speech.	Je regarde ce livre, et le rythme devient plus fluide.I look at this book, and the rhythm becomes more fluid.
Le maintien du e caduc dépend du contexte phonétique.The maintenance of the mute e depends on the phonetic context.	Une petite pause peut le préserver, et la phrase garde son équilibre.A small pause can preserve it, and the sentence keeps its balance.

Semivowels are very brief glides that accompany a vowel without forming an autonomous syllable. The three main sounds are [j], [w] and [ɥ], often associated with spellings like i, oi, ui and eu depending on the context. They frequently appear in the transition between vowels and contribute to the fluency of spoken French.

MotWord	NotationNotation	DescriptionDescription	ExempleExample
I brefBrief i	jj	La semi voyelle glisse rapidement vers la voyelle suivante.The semivowel glides quickly toward the following vowel.	Le mot yoyo commence vite, et le passage reste léger.The word yoyo starts quickly, and the transition remains light.
OIOI	ww	La semi voyelle est labiale et brève, avec un arrondissement marqué.The semivowel is labial and brief, with marked rounding.	Le mot oui avance en un seul geste, et la bouche se projette.The word oui advances in a single gesture, and the mouth projects.
UIUI	ɥɥ	La semi voyelle combine une position haute et un arrondissement des lèvres.The semivowel combines a high position and lip rounding.	Le mot lui se relie doucement, et la transition reste courte.The word lui links smoothly, and the transition remains short.

Voiced consonants cause the vocal cords to vibrate during obstruction or friction. The pairs b and p, d and t, g and k, v and f, z and s illustrate the contrast between voiced and voiceless sounds, very useful for listening to [Homophones and Ambiguities]. The difference is mainly felt by the vibration of the larynx and by the continuity of breath.

MotWord	NotationNotation	DescriptionDescription	ExempleExample
BB	bb	La consonne est voisée, avec vibration des cordes vocales.The consonant is voiced, with vibration of the vocal cords.	Le mot bas commence fort, et la voix reste présente.The word bas begins strongly, and the voice remains present.
PP	pp	La consonne est sourde, avec un souffle sans vibration vocale.The consonant is voiceless, with breath without vocal vibration.	Le mot pas part d’un jet net, et le son reste sec.The word pas begins with a sharp burst, and the sound remains dry.
DD	dd	La consonne est voisée et la langue touche l’avant du palais.The consonant is voiced and the tongue touches the front of the palate.	Le mot doux garde une vibration stable, et l’attaque reste claire.The word doux keeps a stable vibration, and the onset remains clear.
TT	tt	La consonne est sourde et plus sèche dans l’émission.The consonant is voiceless and drier in production.	Le mot tout coupe le souffle, et l’articulation est précise.The word tout cuts off the breath, and articulation is precise.
ZZ	zz	La consonne est voisée et continue, avec un frottement sonore.The consonant is voiced and continuous, with a sonorous friction.	Le mot zéro fait entendre la voix, et le souffle reste régulier.The word zéro makes the voice audible, and the breath remains regular.
SS	ss	La consonne est sourde et sifflante, sans vibration vocale.The consonant is voiceless and sibilant, without vocal vibration.	Le mot sel sonne plus léger, et l’air passe librement.The word sel sounds lighter, and the air passes freely.

The standard French r is often uvular, produced at the back of the mouth with a vibration or a friction near the uvula. In several regions, one may hear older or rolled variants, which does not hinder overall comprehension. The perception of this sound matters a lot in standard French, but its realization also varies according to practices in Quebec and other francophone spaces.

RégionRegion	Mot ou expressionWord or expression	Définition régionaleRegional definition	ExempleExample
FranceFrance	r uvulaireuvular r	Le r est souvent articulé au fond de la bouche avec une frication marquée.The r is often articulated at the back of the mouth with a marked frication.	Le mot rue garde un r profond, et la syllabe reste nette.The word rue keeps a deep r, and the syllable remains clear.
QuébecQuebec	r variablevariable r	Le r peut être plus roulé ou différer du français standard de France.The r can be more rolled or differ from the standard French of France.	Le mot rare peut sonner autrement, et la compréhension demeure.The word rare may sound differently, and understanding remains.
RégionsRegions	r antérieurfront r	Une réalisation plus antérieure existe dans certains usages locaux.An earlier realization exists in certain local usages.	Le mot rire conserve sa fonction, et la couleur change seulement.The word rire preserves its function, and the color changes only.

French often links consonants and vowels regularly, which keeps simple and fluid groups in speech. Final consonants can link to the next word when the structure allows, which is part of the sound continuity described in Liaison and Elision. Assimilation remains limited, but the written segmentation does not always correspond to spoken segmentation.

IdéeIdea	ExempleExample
La consonne finale peut rejoindre le mot suivant dans un groupe fluide.The final consonant can join the next word in a fluid group.	Petit ami se prononce avec une continuité sonore, et la phrase reste liée.Petit ami is pronounced with a continuous sound, and the sentence remains linked.
Les groupes consonantiques simples sont généralement maintenus.Simple consonant groups are generally maintained.	Les lettres du mot porte gardent leur ordre, et la suite reste lisible.The letters of the word porte keep their order, and the sequence remains legible.
Le rythme de la phrase influence la liaison entre segments.The rhythm of the sentence influences the liaison between segments.	Une lecture lente marque les frontières, et la parole devient plus nette.A slow reading marks the boundaries, and speech becomes clearer.

Minimal pairs allow distinguishing similar sounds that change the meaning of a word. The oppositions e and é, e and è, u and ou, on and om, an and en, as well as s and z, are particularly useful for sharpening listening and production. These contrasts support phonetic precision and help resolve ambiguities in [Homophones and Ambiguities].

IdéeIdea	ExempleExample
e et é distinguent souvent une qualité de voyelle plus ouverte ou plus fermée.e and é often distinguish a vowel quality that is more open or more closed.	Le mot est peut changer le sens, et la voyelle doit être entendue clairement.The word can sometimes change the meaning, and the vowel must be clearly heard.
u et ou opposent deux arrangements différents de langue et de lèvres.u and ou contrast two different arrangements of tongue and lips.	Le mot tout ne ressemble pas à tu, et l’arrondissement change.The word tout does not resemble tu, and the rounding changes.
on et om montrent une nasalité proche mais non identique selon le contexte.on and om show a nasal quality that is close but not identical depending on context.	Le mot nom ne se confond pas avec d’autres formes, et la résonance guide l’écoute.The word nom does not get confused with other forms, and resonance guides listening.
an et en peuvent varier légèrement selon les mots et les régions.an and en may vary slightly depending on words and regions.	Le mot sans garde une voyelle nasale, et le timbre reste reconnaissable.The word sans retains a nasal vowel, and the timbre remains recognizable.
s et z opposent un son sourd et un son voisée.s and z contrast a voiceless sound and a voiced sound.	Le mot rose sonne différemment de race, et la vibration fait la différence.The word rose sounds differently from race, and the vibration makes the difference.

The most useful contrasts are u vs ou, nasal vowels, the mute e, the r and simple intonation. These elements recur very often in everyday speech and condition the clarity of the accent. Mastering them directly prepares the spoken reading of words in [Accents and Accentuation], as well as the contrasts of meaning and form in French.

IdéeIdea	ExempleExample
La distinction entre u et ou doit être installée en premier.The distinction between u and ou must be established first.	Tu prononces lune différemment de lourd, et la bouche change de position.You pronounce lune differently from lourd, and the mouth changes position.
Les voyelles nasales doivent être reconnues à l’oreille avant d’être automatisées à l’oral.Nasal vowels must be recognized by ear before being automated in speech.	Le mot pain garde une couleur nasale, et le timbre se stabilise.The word pain retains a nasal timbre, and the tone stabilizes.
Le e caduc et le r demandent une attention particulière dans le débit courant.The mute e and the r require special attention in everyday speech.	Une phrase comme je regarde devient plus naturelle, et le souffle s’organise.A sentence like je regarde becomes more natural, and the breath organizes itself.
L’intonation simple soutient la clarté même quand certains sons se réduisent.Simple intonation supports clarity even when some sounds are reduced.	Une question ou une affirmation reste compréhensible, et le contour mélodique aide.A question or a statement remains understandable, and the melodic contour helps.

French sounds are understood better when one links the written form to the articulatory gesture and the real rhythm of speech. The oral vowels, nasal vowels, semivowels, voiced consonants and the r form the core of the system, while the mute e and the sequences modify the sound surface. Mastery of these contrasts makes pronunciation more stable, more recognizable and closer to the French heard in everyday use.