Alphabets
The French alphabet alphabet
Meet every letter of the French alphabet, hear how it sounds and see it in simple words.
About French
French is written in the Latin alphabet. Accents change how a vowel sounds or tell two words apart: ou (or) and où (where). The cedilla makes c soft: ça. Many letters at the end of words are silent – petit is said "puh-tee".
- 26
- letters
- 13
- accented letters
- 5
- kinds of accent
- L → R
- writing direction
Vowels voyelles
The vowels of French – each is written as a letter of its own. Tap a letter to hear it.
Accents
Acute accent – closed "ay" sound.
Grave accent – open "e".
Circumflex – often a lost s (forest → forêt).
Diaeresis – the vowel is said separately.
Cedilla – c said "s".
Consonants consonnes
The consonants of French. Tap a letter to hear it.
B to H
J to N
P to T
V to Z
Letter pairs: ch is "sh" (chat), gn is "ny" (montagne), ou is "oo" (rouge), oi is "wa" (moi).
Ready to type in French?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.