In French, many letters are written but not pronounced. This is one of the trickiest parts of French pronunciation! Let’s learn the main patterns.
1. Silent Final Consonants
Most consonants at the end of French words are silent.
| Silent Letter | Examples | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| -s | paris, trois, français | pa-REE, trwa, fran-SAY |
| -t | chat, petit, et | sha, puh-TEE, ay |
| -d | grand, froid, pied | gran, frwa, pyay |
| -x | deux, heureux, prix | duh, uh-RUH, pree |
| -z | chez, nez, riz | shay, nay, ree |
| -p | trop, beaucoup, coup | tro, bo-KOO, koo |
| -g | long, sang | lon, san |
Exception – CaReFuL rule: The consonants C, R, F, L are usually pronounced at the end:
| Letter | Popular Examples |
|---|---|
| C | avec (with), parc (park), sac (bag), chic |
| R | pour (for), bonjour (hello), amour (love), soir (evening) |
| F | chef (boss), neuf (nine), œuf (egg), bref (brief) |
| L | hôtel, sel (salt), normal, avril (April) |
CaReFuL exceptions: -er verb endings (parler, manger), blanc (white), gentil (nice)
2. The Silent “H”
The letter H is always silent in French. You never hear it!
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| heure | hour | UR |
| homme | man | OM |
| hôtel | hotel | o-TEL |
| hiver | winter | ee-VAIR |
| histoire | history/story | ees-TWAR |
| heureux | happy | uh-RUH |
Note: There are two types of H:
- H muet (mute h) – allows liaison: l’homme, l’heure
- H aspiré (aspirate h) – no liaison: le héros, la honte
3. Silent “E” at the End
The final -e (without accent) is usually silent but makes the preceding consonant pronounced.
| Without -e | With -e | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| petit (puh-TEE) | petite (puh-TEET) | the T is now heard |
| grand (gran) | grande (grand) | the D is now heard |
| français (fran-SAY) | française (fran-SEZ) | the S is now heard |
| vert (vair) | verte (vairt) | the T is now heard |
More examples of silent final -e:
- table → TAH-bluh (barely audible final syllable)
- France → frans
- livre → LEE-vruh
- porte → port
4. Silent Letters in the Middle
Some letters inside words are also silent:
| Word | Silent Letter | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| automne | t | o-TUN (autumn) |
| sculpture | p | skool-TOOR |
| compter | p | kon-TAY (to count) |
| sept | p | set (seven) |
5. Silent Plural Markers
The plural endings -s and -x are always silent:
| Singular | Plural | Same Sound? |
|---|---|---|
| chat (sha) | chats (sha) | Yes! |
| livre (leevr) | livres (leevr) | Yes! |
| beau (bo) | beaux (bo) | Yes! |
| gâteau (ga-to) | gâteaux (ga-to) | Yes! |
How do you know if it’s plural? Context and articles! (le chat vs les chats)
Common Words with Silent Letters
| Word | Meaning | Silent | Pronounced |
|---|---|---|---|
| temps | time/weather | p, s | tan |
| corps | body | p, s | kor |
| vingt | twenty | g, t | van |
| doigt | finger | g, t | dwa |
| poids | weight | d, s | pwa |
| huit | eight | t | weet |
| nuit | night | t | nwee |