French uses 5 accent marks that change how letters are pronounced or distinguish between words. Learning these is essential for reading and writing French correctly!
The 5 French Accents
| Accent | Name (French) | Name (English) | Used On |
|---|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu | acute accent | e only |
| è, à, ù | accent grave | grave accent | e, a, u |
| ê, â, î, ô, û | accent circonflexe | circumflex | all vowels |
| ë, ï, ü | tréma | diaeresis | e, i, u |
| ç | cédille | cedilla | c only |
1. L’accent aigu (´) – The Acute Accent
Only appears on é. Makes a sharp “ay” sound.
| Letter | Pronunciation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| é | “ay” (like “day”) | café, été (summer), école (school), étudiant (student) |
Tip: This is the most common accent in French!
2. L’accent grave (`) – The Grave Accent
Appears on è, à, ù. On “e” it changes pronunciation; on “a” and “u” it distinguishes meaning.
| Letter | Pronunciation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| è | “eh” (like “bed”) | mère (mother), père (father), frère (brother) |
| à | same as “a” | à (to/at), là (there), voilà (here is) |
| ù | same as “u” | où (where) |
Important distinction:
- a = has (verb avoir) → Il a un chat. (He has a cat.)
- à = to/at (preposition) → Je vais à Paris. (I’m going to Paris.)
- ou = or → café ou thé? (coffee or tea?)
- où = where → Où est la gare? (Where is the station?)
3. L’accent circonflexe (^) – The Circumflex
Can appear on all vowels: â, ê, î, ô, û. Often indicates a historical “s” that disappeared.
| Letter | Pronunciation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| â | longer “ah” | château (castle), gâteau (cake), âge (age) |
| ê | “eh” (like è) | fête (party), forêt (forest), être (to be) |
| î | same as “i” | île (island), dîner (dinner) |
| ô | more closed “oh” | hôtel (hotel), côte (coast), tôt (early) |
| û | same as “u” | sûr (sure), coût (cost), goût (taste) |
Fun fact: Compare these French words to their English cousins:
- forêt → forest
- hôpital → hospital
- île → isle
- château → castle (Old French: castel)
4. Le tréma (¨) – The Diaeresis
Appears on ë, ï, ü. Indicates that two vowels should be pronounced separately.
| Letter | Effect | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ë | pronounce separately | Noël (Christmas), canoë (canoe) |
| ï | pronounce separately | naïf (naive), maïs (corn), héroïque (heroic) |
| ü | rare | ambiguë (feminine form of ambiguous) |
Example:
- Noël = “no-EL” (two syllables), not “nwel”
- maïs = “ma-EES” (two syllables), not “may”
5. La cédille (¸) – The Cedilla
Only appears on ç. Makes “c” soft (like “s”) before a, o, u.
| Letter | Pronunciation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ç | “s” sound | français (French), garçon (boy), leçon (lesson), ça (that) |
Why is it needed?
- c + e, i = automatically soft → ce, ci = “seh”, “see”
- c + a, o, u = hard “k” sound → ca, co, cu = “ka”, “ko”, “koo”
- ç + a, o, u = soft “s” sound → ça, ço = “sa”, “so”
Quick Reference Chart
| Sound | Letters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| “ay” (sharp) | é | café |
| “eh” (open) | è, ê | mère, fête |
| “s” (soft c) | ç | français |
Practice Exercise
Fill in the correct accent:
- caf_ (coffee) → café
- m_re (mother) → mère
- fran_ais (French) → français
- No_l (Christmas) → Noël
- h_tel (hotel) → hôtel
- g_teau (cake) → gâteau
- le_on (lesson) → leçon
- o_ (where) → où
Typing French Accents
On Windows:
- Use the International Keyboard layout, or
- Hold Alt + type number codes (Alt+0233 = é)
On Mac:
- Hold Option + e, then press the vowel (for acute: é)
- Hold Option + `, then press the vowel (for grave: è)
- Hold Option + i, then press the vowel (for circumflex: ê)
- Hold Option + c (for ç)
On phone: Hold down the letter to see accent options!
Tips for Success
- é vs è – Listen for “ay” (closed) vs “eh” (open)
- Accents matter! – They can change meaning completely
- Practice writing – Include accents when you write French
- Don’t panic – You’ll recognize patterns with practice
Bonne continuation! (Keep up the good work!)