French pronunciation, made simple.
Silent consonants, nasal vowels, that guttural “r” — French looks intimidating on the page. This guide breaks the rules down and links to AI audio for every word so you can hear it, learn it, and say it right.
Six rules that unlock French
Once these click, most French words you meet in English will fall into place.
Most final consonants (s, t, d, x, z) are silent. 'Paris' is 'pah-REE', not 'PAIR-iss'.
Paris → pah-REE
'an', 'en', 'in', 'on', 'un' become nasal sounds — air escapes through the nose without pronouncing the 'n'.
Croissant → kwah-SAHN
The French 'r' is made at the back of the throat, closer to a soft gargle than an English 'r'.
Rendezvous → (throaty) RON-day-voo
'Je', 'Jacques', 'genre' all use the 'zh' sound — like the 's' in 'measure'.
Genre → ZHON-ruh
Rounded lips, tongue forward — no direct English equivalent. Close to 'uh' or 'er'.
Oeuvre → UH-vruh
'Bourgeois', 'foie', 'voila' all use the 'wah' sound.
Foie gras → fwah GRAH
Popular French names
Tap any name to hear it and see the origin, meaning, and common mistakes.
French words used in English
From menus to boardrooms — the French vocabulary you'll actually run into.
Looking for a specific French word?
Search the full catalog — every entry comes with human-readable phonetics, IPA, and AI voice playback.