The French Alphabet Basics
Good news for beginners: French uses the same 26 letters as English, from A to Z. What’s different are the names of the letters and a few extra signs (accents) that sit on top of vowels or under the letter c.
Letter names you’ll hear a lot: A “a”, B “bé”, C “cé”, D “dé”, E “eu”, F “effe”, G “jé”, H “ash”, I “i”, J “ji”, K “ka”, L “elle”, M “emme”, N “enne”, O “o”, P “pé”, Q “ku”, R “air” (back of the throat), S “esse”, T “té”, U “u” (rounded lips), V “vé”, W “double vé”, X “iks”, Y “i grec”, Z “zède”.
Accents you’ll see: é, è, ê, ë; à, â; î; ô; ù, û; and the cedilla under c (ç). Accents guide pronunciation and sometimes change meaning.
- Alphabet: 26 letters (A–Z), same as English
- Accents: aigu (é), grave (è), circonflexe (ê), tréma (ë), cédille (ç)
- W and K mostly appear in loanwords (le kiwi, le web)
Accents and Sounds You’ll Meet First
Accents are small but mighty in French. They can change both sound and meaning, so learning them early saves confusion later.
É (accent aigu) gives a clear "ay"-like sound: café, étudiant. È (accent grave) opens the vowel: père, très. Ê (circonflexe) is often a slightly longer/open sound and can hint at a missing historical s: forêt (from “forest”), fête.
Ë, ï, ü (tréma) tell you to pronounce vowels separately: Noël, maïs, haïr. The cedilla (ç) turns c into an s sound before a, o, u: ça, français.
Two helpful combo tips: -ou- sounds like “oo” in you (vous), while -on-, -an-, -in- are nasal vowels (bon, blanc, vin). Don’t over-nasalize—keep it light.
- é: café, été
- è/ê: très, fête, forêt
- ç: français, ça va
- tréma: Noël, maïs
- ou vs u: nous (ou) vs tu (u)
Tricky Letters for English Speakers
R (r): It’s produced in the back of the throat, not the tip of the tongue. Start with a soft gargle-like friction, very gentle. Whisper “kh” and add voice.
U vs OU: U (u) is the famous rounded front vowel. Say “ee” while rounding your lips as if for “oo”—that’s U. OU is simply “oo” as in “you”: tu vs tout.
E (e) can be full (été), open (belle), or almost silent (the “e muet” in petite). In everyday speech, final -e is often dropped, especially in fast talk.
G and C change with the following letter: G is hard before a, o, u (gare), but soft (like the sound in “vision”) before e, i, y (gilet). C is k before a, o, u (car), but s before e, i, y (merci).
S between vowels often sounds like z: rose (roze). Final consonants are often silent, but the “CaReFuL” letters (c, r, f, l) are more likely to be pronounced at word ends: merci (c), hiver (r), neuf (f), avril (l).
- Practice pair: tu (u) vs tout (ou)
- Soft g: gilet; Hard g: gâteau
- Soft c: merci; Hard c: café
- Watch S: poison (z sound in the middle)
Spelling Out Loud and Everyday Uses
You’ll spell your name, email, and address a lot in France. Learn the request: “Comment ça s’écrit ?” (How is that spelled?) and the verb “épeler” (to spell).
Symbols that help in real life: @ is “arobase”, . is “point”, - is “tiret”, _ is “tiret bas”. For phone numbers, the norm is reading digits in pairs: 06 12 34 56 78.
Build a mini script for yourself: say your name, then spell it slowly with French letter names. If someone repeats back, confirm with “C’est bien ça.”
For structured practice, print a free alphabet chart (pdf) and keep it by your desk. Many beginner platforms offer a free A1 alphabet lesson or course; use those audio clips to anchor the sounds.
- Useful phrases: “Pouvez-vous épeler, s’il vous plaît ?”
- Email symbols: arobase (@), point (.), tiret (-), tiret bas (_)
- Phone style: digits in pairs
- Keep a printed pdf alphabet sheet for quick review
A One-Hour Beginner Study Plan
Short on time? Here’s a focused, one-hour routine to learn the French alphabet from scratch. Repeat the plan on two more days this week for best results.
Use a timer, speak out loud, and record yourself briefly—hearing your progress speeds up learning.
- Minutes 0–10: Listen to the alphabet once, then repeat letter by letter (A–Z), focusing on E, U, R, G, J.
- Minutes 10–20: Accents drill: é/è/ê and ç. Read aloud examples (café, très, forêt, français).
- Minutes 20–30: Vowel focus: U vs OU, plus nasal vowels (on, an, in). Quick minimal-pair practice: tu/tout, bon/banc, vin/vent.
- Minutes 30–40: Consonant rules: soft/hard C and G, S between vowels, silent finals vs CaReFuL letters.
- Minutes 40–50: Spelling workout: spell your full name, city, and email using arobase, point, tiret. Do two mock phone numbers in pairs.
- Minutes 50–60: Micro dictation: a 6–8 word phrase with an accent (e.g., “Café près du métro”). Check, correct, and read aloud twice.
- After the hour: Print a free pdf chart and add 5 minutes daily of out-loud spelling for one week. Consider a short beginner course with audio to reinforce sounds.
FAQ
- Is the French alphabet the same as English?
- Yes—26 letters from A to Z. What changes are the letter names and the use of accents (é, è, ê, ë, à, â, î, ô, ù, û, ç) that guide pronunciation and sometimes meaning.
- Which accents should beginners learn first?
- Start with é (clear and tense, like in café), è/ê (more open, as in très/fête), and ç (softens c before a, o, u—français). These appear constantly in beginner texts.
- How do I learn the French R safely?
- Aim for a gentle, voiced friction at the back of the throat (like a soft gargle). Start whispered (kh), then add voice. Keep the tongue relaxed and avoid rolling with the tip.
- Where can I get a free pdf or course to keep learning?
- Search for “French alphabet pdf” to print a simple chart, and look for an A1 “alphabet” or “pronunciation” free course from reputable platforms or public broadcasters. Use audio so you can repeat the letter names.
- How long does it take to learn the letters?
- With focused practice, about one hour to get comfortable, then a few short sessions across the week to make it automatic—especially for U, R, and accent patterns.