1.8 Letter combinations

Letter combinations

French pronunciation is often challenging because many sounds are written using two or more letters combined. These combinations, called graphèmes, are essential to master at the A1 level.

We will categorize them by the sound they produce.

1. The Vowel Sounds (Les Sons Voyelles)

These are the most distinctive French sounds. The air flows through both the nose and the mouth. The sound ends with ‘N’ or ‘M’, but the N/M itself is not pronounced like in English.

Combination	Sound Description	English Comparison (Approximate)	Examples (Pronunciation Tip)
ON	Deep /ɔ̃/ sound.	Similar to the ‘aw’ in lawn, but nasalized.	bon (good), monde (world)
AN / EN	Open /ɑ̃/ sound.	Similar to the ‘a’ in father, but nasalized.	grand (big), enfant (child)
IN / AIM / AIN / EIN	High /ɛ̃/ sound.	Similar to the ‘a’ in pain, but nasalized.	matin (morning), main (hand), plein (full)
UN	Rounded /œ̃/ sound (less common).	Slightly different from IN, but often confused.	un (one), brun (brown)

IMPORTANT RULE: If the N or M is followed by a vowel (bonne, ami), the sound is NOT nasal. The N/M is pronounced normally.

B. The "O" and "U" Sounds

French has multiple ways to write the /o/ and /u/ sounds.

Combination	French Sound	Sound Description	Examples
OU / OÙ	/u/ sound.	Exactly like the ‘oo’ in English food or too.	nous (we), où (where)
AU / EAU	/o/ sound (closed).	Exactly like the ‘o’ in English boat or go.	au revoir, beau (beautiful)
OI	/wa/ sound.	Pronounced “w-ah” (quick /w/ followed by /a/).	trois (three), moi (me)
EU / OEU	/ø/ or /œ/ sound.	This is a hard sound! Try saying ‘eh’ while rounding your lips like you are saying ‘oo’.	bleu (blue), sœur (sister)

C. The "E" Sounds

This is where the accents and combinations define the sound as either closed or open.

Combination	French Sound	Sound Description	Examples
É / ER / EZ	Closed /e/ sound (“é”).	Like the ‘ay’ in English say or day.	école (school), parler (to speak), nez (nose)
È / AI / EI / AY	Open /ɛ/ sound (“è”).	Like the ‘e’ in English pen or the ‘ai’ in fair.	mère (mother), j’ai (I have), neige (snow)

2. The Consonant Combinations (Les Consonnes)

These two-letter combinations create a single, unique consonant sound.

Combination	French Sound	English Equivalent	Examples
CH	/ʃ/ sound.	Exactly like the ‘sh’ in English ship.	chat (cat), cher (expensive)
GN	/ɲ/ sound.	Like the ‘ny’ in English canyon or the ‘ñ’ in Spanish España.	montagne (mountain), ligne (line)
QU	/k/ sound.	Always pronounced ‘k’. The ‘U’ is silent.	qui (who), quatre (four)

3. Special Consonant/Vowel Rules

These combinations involve a silent letter or an altered sound based on the following letter.

Combination	Rule	Examples
GU	The ‘U’ is silent and makes the ‘G’ hard (/g/) before E or I.	guitare (guitar), guerre (war)
GE + A/O/U	To keep the soft /ʒ/ sound (like the ‘s’ in pleasure) before A, O, or U, an ‘E’ is added.	mangeons (we eat), nager (to swim)
UI	A quick glide sound. It’s the French ‘u’ (/y/) + ‘i’ (/i/).	huit (eight), cuisine (kitchen)
IL / ILLE	The Soft ‘L’ Sound: Often pronounced /j/ (like ‘y’ in yes).	abeille (bee), feuille (leaf)
IL / ILLE	The Hard ‘L’ Sound (Exceptions): Sometimes, the ‘L’ is fully pronounced.	ville (city), mille (thousand)

By learning these combinations, you can pronounce nearly all French words correctly. The key is to remember that multiple letters often work together to create one sound.