French spelling tells you a lot about where a word came from and much less about how it sounds. Beaucoup has eight letters and four sounds. Temps is five letters and two sounds, /tɑ̃/. Fille and ville look like they should rhyme, and they don't.
So when you learn a French word, learn its sound at the same time. This list gives you 100 common words, grouped by topic, each with its IPA transcription, and after every group a note on the sounds worth noticing.
Want another word in IPA? Type it into the French to IPA converter.
How to read the transcriptions
Each transcription shows the word on its own, said in standard French, in broad IPA. Three things look different from English transcriptions:
- No stress marks. French stress falls on the last syllable of a phrase rather than belonging to each word, so French transcriptions leave it out.
- The tilde marks a nasal vowel. /ɑ̃/, /ɔ̃/, /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ are vowels said with air through the nose. The n or m after them in the spelling is not pronounced as a consonant.
- /ʁ/ is the French r, made at the very back of the mouth, behind the place where English makes /ɡ/.
If a symbol is new to you, the French IPA cheat sheet lists all of them with example words.
Greetings and polite words
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bonjour | /bɔ̃ʒuʁ/ | hello, good morning |
| bonsoir | /bɔ̃swaʁ/ | good evening |
| salut | /saly/ | hi, bye |
| merci | /mɛʁsi/ | thank you |
| pardon | /paʁdɔ̃/ | sorry, excuse me |
| oui | /wi/ | yes |
| non | /nɔ̃/ | no |
| madame | /madam/ | madam, Mrs |
| monsieur | /məsjø/ | sir, Mr |
| bienvenue | /bjɛ̃vny/ | welcome |
Monsieur is the classic trap: no n sound in the first syllable, and the second ends in /ø/, a rounded vowel English doesn't have. The final t of salut is silent, and bienvenue ends in /y/, the vowel of tu.
People and family
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| homme | /ɔm/ | man |
| femme | /fam/ | woman, wife |
| enfant | /ɑ̃fɑ̃/ | child |
| garçon | /ɡaʁsɔ̃/ | boy |
| fille | /fij/ | girl, daughter |
| ami | /ami/ | friend |
| père | /pɛʁ/ | father |
| mère | /mɛʁ/ | mother |
| frère | /fʁɛʁ/ | brother |
| sœur | /sœʁ/ | sister |
Femme is said /fam/, with the vowel of madame, even though it is spelled with an e. Fille ends in /j/, the y of English yes; the double l is not an l at all. Enfant is two nasal vowels around an /f/, and nothing else.
Time
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| jour | /ʒuʁ/ | day |
| mois | /mwa/ | month |
| an | /ɑ̃/ | year |
| année | /ane/ | year (its length or course) |
| heure | /œʁ/ | hour, time of day |
| minute | /minyt/ | minute |
| temps | /tɑ̃/ | time, weather |
| maintenant | /mɛ̃tnɑ̃/ | now |
| toujours | /tuʒuʁ/ | always, still |
| déjà | /deʒa/ | already |
An and année show what happens when a nasal vowel meets a vowel: in an the n only nasalises the vowel, but in année it is a real /n/ and the vowel before it is oral. Heure starts with a vowel, because French h is never pronounced. Maintenant usually loses the middle e, which is why /mɛ̃tnɑ̃/ has two syllables where the spelling suggests three.
Food and drink
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| café | /kafe/ | coffee, café |
| thé | /te/ | tea |
| vin | /vɛ̃/ | wine |
| fromage | /fʁɔmaʒ/ | cheese |
| pomme | /pɔm/ | apple |
| fruit | /fʁɥi/ | fruit |
| viande | /vjɑ̃d/ | meat |
| poisson | /pwasɔ̃/ | fish |
| sucre | /sykʁ/ | sugar |
| beurre | /bœʁ/ | butter |
Thé has no th sound: French th is just /t/. Fruit has the sound /ɥ/, a quick /y/ gliding into the next vowel; it is also the first sound of huit (eight) and appears in cuisine below. Watch poisson /pwasɔ̃/ against poison /pwazɔ̃/: one s between vowels is /z/, a double ss is /s/.
Two more words every beginner needs: pain (bread) is /pɛ̃/, with the same nasal vowel as vin, and eau (water) is a single vowel, /o/.
Home and town
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chambre | /ʃɑ̃bʁ/ | bedroom |
| cuisine | /kɥizin/ | kitchen, cooking |
| porte | /pɔʁt/ | door |
| lit | /li/ | bed |
| rue | /ʁy/ | street |
| ville | /vil/ | town, city |
| école | /ekɔl/ | school |
| gare | /ɡaʁ/ | railway station |
| magasin | /maɡazɛ̃/ | shop |
| voiture | /vwatyʁ/ | car |
Rue /ʁy/ and roue /ʁu/ (wheel) differ only in the vowel, and that vowel is the one English speakers merge most often. For /y/, say the /i/ of lit and round your lips without moving your tongue. Ville /vil/ keeps its l, unlike fille above; it is one of a handful of exceptions, so learn it as a word.
Everyday verbs
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| avoir | /avwaʁ/ | to have |
| faire | /fɛʁ/ | to do, to make |
| aller | /ale/ | to go |
| voir | /vwaʁ/ | to see |
| savoir | /savwaʁ/ | to know (a fact) |
| pouvoir | /puvwaʁ/ | can, to be able to |
| vouloir | /vulwaʁ/ | to want |
| dire | /diʁ/ | to say |
| parler | /paʁle/ | to speak |
| manger | /mɑ̃ʒe/ | to eat |
| boire | /bwaʁ/ | to drink |
| dormir | /dɔʁmiʁ/ | to sleep |
| lire | /liʁ/ | to read |
| écrire | /ekʁiʁ/ | to write |
| aimer | /eme/ | to love, to like |
| comprendre | /kɔ̃pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | to understand |
| trouver | /tʁuve/ | to find |
| chercher | /ʃɛʁʃe/ | to look for |
| acheter | /aʃte/ | to buy |
| regarder | /ʁəɡaʁde/ | to watch, to look at |
Every infinitive in -er ends in /e/: the r is silent. Infinitives in -ir, -oir and -ire keep their /ʁ/. Aimer is also heard as /ɛme/, with a more open first vowel; both are standard. Acheter drops the e in the middle, as maintenant does.
Describing words
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| grand | /ɡʁɑ̃/ | big, tall |
| petit | /pəti/ | small |
| nouveau | /nuvo/ | new |
| vieux | /vjø/ | old |
| jeune | /ʒœn/ | young |
| chaud | /ʃo/ | hot, warm |
| froid | /fʁwa/ | cold |
| facile | /fasil/ | easy |
| difficile | /difisil/ | difficult |
| heureux | /øʁø/ | happy |
Six of these end in a letter you don't say: the d of grand, chaud and froid, the t of petit, and the x of vieux and heureux. Their feminine forms are where the consonant comes back: grande and petite end in /d/ and /t/. Jeune /ʒœn/ and heureux /øʁø/ show the two rounded front vowels: /œ/ is the more open one.
Colours
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| blanc | /blɑ̃/ | white |
| noir | /nwaʁ/ | black |
| bleu | /blø/ | blue |
| vert | /vɛʁ/ | green |
| jaune | /ʒon/ | yellow |
The spelling oi is almost always /wa/: noir, voir, mois, froid. Rouge (red) is /ʁuʒ/, with the French r and the s of English measure.
Question words
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| qui | /ki/ | who |
| quoi | /kwa/ | what |
| où | /u/ | where |
| comment | /kɔmɑ̃/ | how |
| pourquoi | /puʁkwa/ | why |
| combien | /kɔ̃bjɛ̃/ | how much, how many |
| quel | /kɛl/ | which, what |
Qu is simply /k/: there is no /w/ in qui or quel, and the /w/ of quoi comes from its oi. Quand (when) is /kɑ̃/, and où (where) is a single vowel, /u/, the same as the ou of jour.
Little words you hear all the time
| Example | Example in IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ici | /isi/ | here |
| là | /la/ | there |
| beaucoup | /boku/ | a lot, much |
| peu | /pø/ | little, not much |
| trop | /tʁo/ | too, too much |
| encore | /ɑ̃kɔʁ/ | again, still, more |
| aussi | /osi/ | also, too |
| bien | /bjɛ̃/ | well, good |
Peu /pø/ and beaucoup /boku/ are a useful pair: /ø/ is the rounded front vowel, /u/ the rounded back one. Bien has the same nasal vowel as vin, after a /j/ glide.
Why the numbers are not in the tables
French numbers change shape with the next word, so a word list has to pick one form and would mislead you about the others. Six is /sis/ on its own, /si/ before a consonant (six livres) and /siz/ before a vowel (six amis). Dix works the same way. Huit is /ɥit/ on its own and /ɥi/ before a consonant.
This is a small case of a general rule. Many final consonants that are silent at the end of a phrase come back as a link to a following vowel, which French grammars call liaison: the s of vous is silent in vous parlez but heard as /z/ in vous avez. The French IPA cheat sheet shows how transcriptions mark it.
How to practise with this list
- Read the IPA, not the spelling. Cover the first column and say each word from its transcription. If you can, the sounds are yours.
- Group words by sound. Put the nasal vowels together (bonjour, enfant, vin), then /y/ against /u/ (rue, jour), then /ø/ against /œ/ (peu, heure).
- Put them in your flashcards. An IPA field on each card keeps the sound in front of you on every review; our Anki and IPA workflow shows how.
- Check yourself out loud. Record yourself, or use the Speech Analyzer to see which sound drifted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does French IPA have no stress marks?
French stress falls on the last full syllable of a phrase, not on a fixed syllable of each word, so dictionaries usually leave it out of single-word transcriptions. Say the words evenly and let the end of the phrase carry the weight.
What does the ~ mean in French IPA?
The tilde over a vowel means it is nasal: air flows through the nose as well as the mouth. French has four nasal vowel symbols, as in enfant /ɑ̃fɑ̃/, bonjour /bɔ̃ʒuʁ/, vin /vɛ̃/ and un /œ̃/, though many speakers in France now say un with the vowel of vin.
Are these transcriptions the same as in a dictionary?
They are broad transcriptions of each word said on its own, which is what most dictionaries print. Wiktionary adds syllable dots, and dictionaries sometimes show a second accepted form, such as /ɛme/ for aimer.
Trying It Yourself
Pick ten words from this list you thought you already knew and read only their IPA. The ones that surprise you are the ones to practise.
For any other word, paste it into the French to IPA converter, or use IPAtics to see the IPA of French words in any app you read.
Sources: the transcriptions in the tables come from a French pronunciation lexicon IPAtics maintains, and a test checks every table against it; words whose lexicon entry we found wrong were left out. The transcriptions in the prose (pain, eau, rouge, quand, roue, poison and the numbers six, dix and huit with their forms before consonants and vowels) follow Wiktionary; the notes on stress, nasal vowels and liaison follow Wikipedia's French phonology and Help:IPA/French.
Related reading: French IPA cheat sheet: all 36 sounds · What is IPA? Why phonetic transcription matters · Phonemic vs phonetic transcription