French Alphabet
The French alphabet (l’alphabet français) has the same 26 letters as English, and each letter has a typical name and sound. This guide goes through each letter and gives example words to show how they sound in French.
Alphabet
The French alphabet (l’alphabet) consists of 26 letters from A to Z, and each letter is pronounced slightly differently from English.
| Letter | French Name | Sample Word | English Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | /a/ | ananas | pineapple |
| B | /be/ | banane | banana |
| C | /se/ | cerise | cherry |
| D | /de/ | datte | date (fruit) |
| E | /ə/ or /e/ | éclair | éclair |
| F | /ɛf/ | fraise | strawberry |
| G | /ʒe/ | goyave | guava |
| H | /aʃ/ | hibiscus | hibiscus |
| I | /i/ | île | island |
| J | /ʒi/ | jasmin | jasmine |
| K | /ka/ | kiwi | kiwi |
| L | /ɛl/ | litchi | lychee |
| M | /ɛm/ | mangue | mango |
| N | /ɛn/ | noix | nut |
| O | /o/ or /ɔ/ | orange | orange |
| P | /pe/ | pastèque | watermelon |
| Q | /ky/ | quandon | pandan (?) |
| R | /ɛʁ/ | raisin | grape |
| S | /ɛs/ | sapotille | sapodilla |
| T | /te/ | tamarin | tamarind |
| U | /y/ | ubajay | ubajay |
| V | /ve/ | vanille | vanilla |
| W | /dublə.ve/ | wasabi | wasabi |
| X | /iks/ | ximenia | ximenia |
| Y | /igʁɛk/ | yaourt | yogurt |
| Z | /zɛd/ | zeste | zest |
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🅰️ Avec | With |
| 🅱️ Banane | Banana |
| 🌊 C’est | It is |
| 🐶 D’accord | Okay |
| 🌍 École | School |
| 🏰 Fête | Party |
| 🍇 Gâteau | Cake |
| 🏠 Hôtel | Hotel |
| 🍦 Île | Island |
| 🧸 Jardin | Garden |
| 🔑 Kilo | Kilo |
| 🍋 Léger | Light |
| 🌙 Mûr | Ripe |
| 🐝 Neige | Snow |
| 🐙 Ôter | Remove |
| 🥖 Pain | Bread |
| 🐦 Québec | Quebec |
| 🌈 Rêve | Dream |
| 🐍 Sûr | Sure |
| 🌟 Tôt | Early |
| 🦄 Université | University |
| 🚗 Voiture | Car |
| 🍷 Wagon | Wagon |
| ❌ Xylophone | Xylophone |
| 🥝 Yoga | Yoga |
| ⚡ Zèbre | Zebra |
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Accents
Accents (les accents) change how letters are pronounced and can also change a word’s meaning, so it’s important to notice them.
Accent aigu (é)
The accent aigu (accent aigu) appears only on e and makes a clear /e/ sound like in éclair.
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Accent grave (à, è, ù)
The accent grave (accent grave) can appear on a, e, or u. On è it makes an open /ɛ/ sound as in père. On à and ù it distinguishes meaning (e.g. à vs a).
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Accent circonflexe (â, ê, î, ô, û)
The accent circonflexe (accent circonflexe) can appear on any vowel and often signals a historic letter that was dropped; it can affect pronunciation slightly, as in forêt.
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Tréma (ë, ï, ü)
The tréma (tréma) shows that two vowels are pronounced separately, as in Noël where the o and ë form distinct sounds.
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Cédille (ç)
The cédille (cédille) appears under c as in garçon to make an /s/ sound instead of /k/.
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Summary
The French alphabet has 26 familiar letters, each with a typical French name and sound. Accents (les accents) guide pronunciation and meaning, so paying attention to them helps you read and say French words correctly.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025