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Silent Letters

Spoken Description

Apprenez les lettres muettes françaises : règles, exemples, astuces de prononciation et exercices pour améliorer votre fluidité écrite et orale. Parfait pour les débutants voulant pratiquer la lecture et l'écoute.

Learn about silent letters in French: rules, examples, speech tips and exercises to improve reading and listening skills. Great for beginners working on pronunciation and fluency.

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French is famous for its silent letters that shape pronunciation and sometimes meaning. This guide highlights the most common silent letters and when to expect them.

Final Consonants

Many final consonants remain silent in standard French pronunciation, with a few notable exceptions that help distinguish words.
French Word(s)English Word(s)
chatcat
chiendog
piedfoot
neznose
doigtfinger
Ils mange(ils) au restaurant.

They eat at the restaurant.

Conjugate 'manger' for 'ils' (third-person plural) with silent final 'ent'

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-e at the End

A final -e is usually silent when the word ends a sentence or phrase, but it can signal feminine gender or affect liaison when followed by a vowel.
Je chant(je) une chanson.

I sing a song.

Write the present tense of 'chanter' for 'je' (with silent final 'e').

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-s, -t, -d, and -x

Final letters like -s, -t, -d, and -x are often silent in plural and singular forms, though they sometimes reappear in liaison.
French Word(s)English Word(s)
lesthe (plural)
petitsmall
grandbig
deuxtwo

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Liaison

La liaison est la prononciation des consonnes finales normalement muettes lorsque le mot suivant commence par un son vocalique, ce qui aide à relier les mots de manière fluide dans la parole.

Liaison is the pronunciation of normally silent final consonants when the next word begins with a vowel sound, and it helps connect words smoothly in speech.

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Silent Letters in the Middle

Some letters remain silent within words, especially in common endings like -ent for third-person plural verbs, which are written but not pronounced.
J'ai fini(je) le travail.

I finished the work.

Write the passé composé of 'finir' for 'je'.

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Regional Variations

Pronunciation of silent letters can vary by region, with some accents pronouncing normally silent consonants for emphasis or style.

Summary

Silent letters shape French pronunciation and rhythm; final consonants are often silent except in liaison, and written endings like -e and -ent signal grammatical information rather than sound.

All content was written by our AI and may contain a few mistakes. We may earn commissions on some links. Last updated: Mon Dec 8, 2025, 6:25 AM