The French alphabet has 26 letters, just like English! However, the pronunciation is quite different. Let’s learn each letter with its French name and an example word.
The 26 Letters
| Letter | French Name | Sounds Like | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a | “ah” | ami (friend) |
| B b | bé | “bay” | bonjour (hello) |
| C c | cé | “say” | café (coffee) |
| D d | dé | “day” | demain (tomorrow) |
| E e | e | “uh” | eau (water) |
| F f | effe | “eff” | famille (family) |
| G g | gé | “zhay” | garçon (boy) |
| H h | ache | “ahsh” | heure (hour) |
| I i | i | “ee” | ici (here) |
| J j | ji | “zhee” | jour (day) |
| K k | ka | “kah” | kilo (kilo) |
| L l | elle | “ell” | livre (book) |
| M m | emme | “em” | merci (thank you) |
| N n | enne | “en” | nuit (night) |
| O o | o | “oh” | orange (orange) |
| P p | pé | “pay” | paris (Paris) |
| Q q | ku | “koo” | quatre (four) |
| R r | erre | “air” | rue (street) |
| S s | esse | “ess” | soleil (sun) |
| T t | té | “tay” | table (table) |
| U u | u | “oo” (lips rounded) | un (one) |
| V v | vé | “vay” | ville (city) |
| W w | double vé | “doo-bluh vay” | week-end (weekend) |
| X x | ixe | “eeks” | taxi (taxi) |
| Y y | i grec | “ee grek” | yeux (eyes) |
| Z z | zède | “zed” | zéro (zero) |
Key Differences from English
- G is pronounced “zhay” (like the “s” in “measure”)
- J is pronounced “zhee” (soft, not like English “jay”)
- H is always silent in French words
- R comes from the throat (the famous French “r”)
- U has no English equivalent – round your lips and say “ee”
- W is called “double vé” (double v), not “double u”
- Y is called “i grec” (Greek i)
Quick Exercise
Practice spelling these French words letter by letter:
- chat (cat) → cé – ache – a – té
- soleil (sun) → esse – o – elle – e – i – elle
- bonjour (hello) → bé – o – enne – ji – o – u – erre
Bonne chance! (Good luck!)