Front and unrounded
Keep the lips spread or neutral while the tongue stays forward; open the jaw more as you move from /i/ toward /a/.
French IPA and vowel sound chart for beginners
This chart maps the 35 core French sounds in Parle's beginner library to IPA, common spellings, example words, and one physical pronunciation cue. Start with the French vowel chart below or open the complete inventory; use both as speaking references, not symbol memorisation tests.
14 vowels 3 semi-vowels 18 consonants
Download the 35-sound CSV IPA, spellings, example words, and English mouth cues synchronized from the Parle learning inventory.
Map 14 French vowel entries by what your mouth does.
A French vowel chart groups vowel sounds by tongue position, lip rounding, and airflow.
Start with oral vowels, compare rounded and unrounded lips, then add nasal airflow without pronouncing a separate n. Keep each vowel steady instead of adding an English-style glide. Tap any IPA symbol to open its spellings, examples, and mouth cue.
Front and rounded
Keep the tongue forward as for /i/ or /e/, then round the lips for French u and the two eu sounds.
Back and rounded
Round the lips and keep the tongue farther back; compare the jaw opening in /u/, /o/, and /ɔ/.
Nasal vowels
Keep one vowel shape while allowing nasal airflow; do not close the tongue into a separate final n sound.
Schwa
Treat /ə/ as a short, weak central vowel that may be reduced or omitted in everyday speech.
This is Parle's synchronized beginner learning inventory. Phoneme counts and realizations can differ across linguistic analyses, speakers, and regional varieties of French.
French vowels and nasal vowels
Keep each vowel stable. Change tongue position, lip rounding, and nasal resonance without adding an English-style glide.
/a/ Practice guide
Open your mouth wide, as in “chat” or “là.”
- a
- chat
- à
- là
- â
- pâte
/e/ Practice guide
Stretch your lips, as in “été” or “aller.”
- é
- été
- er
- parler
- ez
- chez
/ɛ/ Practice guide
Your mouth is more open than for /e/, as in “mère” or “lait.”
- è
- mère
- ê
- être
- ai
- lait
/i/ Practice guide
Stretch your lips as far as you can, as in “lit” or “île.”
- i
- lit
- î
- île
- y
- style
/o/ Practice guide
Round your lips, as in “beau” or “chaud.”
- o
- vélo
- ô
- hôtel
- au
- beau
/ɔ/ Practice guide
Your mouth is more open than for /o/, as in “porte” or “bonne.”
- o
- porte
- o
- bonne
- o
- homme
/u/ Practice guide
Lips are very rounded and pushed forward, as in “tout” or “roue.”
- ou
- tout
- où
- où
- oû
- goût
/y/ Practice guide
Say an /i/ sound with rounded lips, as in “lune” or “rue.”
- u
- lune
- û
- sûr
- u
- rue
/ø/ Practice guide
Lips rounded and forward, as in “jeu” or “deux.”
- eu
- feu
- œu
- vœu
- eu
- deux
/œ/ Practice guide
Your mouth is more open than for /ø/, as in “peur” or “fleur.”
- eu
- peur
- œu
- cœur
- eu
- jeune
/ə/ Practice guide
A short, weak sound that may disappear in everyday speech, as in “le,” “petit,” or “demain.”
- e
- le
- e
- petit
- e
- demain
/ɑ̃/ Practice guide
Air passes through the nose, as in “enfant” or “temps.”
- an
- enfant
- am
- champagne
- en
- vent
/ɔ̃/ Practice guide
A rounded nasal sound, as in “bon” or “pont.”
- on
- bon
- om
- tomber
- ont
- ont
/ɛ̃/ Practice guide
An open nasal sound, as in “vin” or “main.”
- in
- vin
- im
- simple
- ain
- pain
French semi-vowels
These short glides connect vowels quickly. They should move into the next sound without becoming an extra syllable.
/j/ Practice guide
A gliding sound, as in “fille” or “yeux.”
- i
- piano
- y
- payer
- ill
- fille
/w/ Practice guide
A glide with rounded lips, as in “oui” or “roi.”
- ou
- oui
- oi
- roi
- w
- week-end
/ɥ/ Practice guide
A glide typical of French, as in “lui” or “nuit.”
- ui
- lui
- ui
- nuit
- ui
- puis
French consonants
Focus on clean placement, lighter release, and the difference between written letters and consonants that are actually pronounced.
/p/ Practice guide
Lips close then open, as in “papa” or “pont.”
- p
- papa
- pp
- nappe
- p
- pont
/b/ Practice guide
Like /p/ but voiced, as in “beau” or “robe.”
- b
- bateau
- bb
- abbaye
- b
- robe
/t/ Practice guide
The tongue touches the upper teeth, as in “table” or “thé.”
- t
- table
- tt
- cette
- th
- thé
/d/ Practice guide
Like /t/ but voiced, as in “deux” or “date.”
- d
- date
- dd
- addition
- d
- deux
/k/ Practice guide
The back of the tongue touches the palate, as in “quand” or “café.”
- c
- café
- k
- kilo
- qu
- queue
/ɡ/ Practice guide
Like /k/ but voiced, as in “gare” or “bague.”
- g
- gare
- gu
- guerre
- g
- bague
/f/ Practice guide
Upper teeth touch the lower lip, as in “faire” or “photo.”
- f
- feu
- ff
- effet
- ph
- photo
/v/ Practice guide
Like /f/ but voiced, as in “vie” or “vert.”
- v
- vie
- w
- wagon
- v
- vert
/s/ Practice guide
Air passes between the tongue and the teeth, as in “sac” or “garçon.”
- s
- sac
- c
- ceci
- ç
- garçon
/z/ Practice guide
Like /s/ but voiced, as in “zéro” or “rose.”
- z
- zéro
- s
- rose
- x
- deuxième
/ʃ/ Practice guide
Air flows out in a diffuse way, as in “chat” or “cher.”
- ch
- chat
- ch
- cher
- sch
- schéma
/ʒ/ Practice guide
Like “sh” in “chat” but voiced, as in “je” or “rouge.”
- j
- je
- g
- gentil
- ge
- rouge
/m/ Practice guide
Lips close and air passes through the nose, as in “maman” or “femme.”
- m
- maman
- mm
- femme
- m
- merci
/n/ Practice guide
The tongue touches the teeth and air passes through the nose, as in “nous” or “bonne.”
- n
- nous
- nn
- anneau
- n
- nez
/ɲ/ Practice guide
The middle of the tongue touches the palate, as in “montagne” or “signe.”
- gn
- montagne
- gn
- signe
- gn
- ligne
/ŋ/ Practice guide
A nasal sound borrowed from English, as in “parking” or “camping.”
- ng
- parking
- ng
- camping
- ng
- shopping
/l/ Practice guide
The tongue touches the teeth; air passes at the sides, as in “lire” or “belle.”
- l
- lire
- ll
- belle
- l
- la
/ʁ/ Practice guide
The sound comes from the back of the throat, as in “rouge” or “Paris.”
- r
- rouge
- rr
- terre
- r
- Paris
Move from symbol to speech.
Choose one IPA symbol, listen to one model in Parle, say the sound alone, then use an example word in a short sentence. In a speaking mission, the same sound then moves through Hear, Shape, Say, Use. The symbol is useful only when it changes what you hear and what your mouth does.
IPA notation follows the official International Phonetic Association chart. The University of Texas at Austin's Français interactif phonetic-symbol guide explains why one French sound can have several spellings. Examples and learning cues here are synchronized from the Parle iOS curriculum.
French sound chart questions
How many French sounds are in this chart?
This chart contains 35 learning entries used in Parle's beginner pronunciation library: 14 vowels, 3 semi-vowels, and 18 consonants. Linguistic inventories can vary by analysis and French variety.
How many French vowel sounds are in this chart?
The vowel map contains 14 entries: 10 oral vowel qualities, 3 nasal vowels, and schwa. It is a practical beginner inventory, not a claim that every French accent uses an identical set.
What is the difference between oral and nasal French vowels?
For an oral vowel, airflow leaves through the mouth. For a nasal vowel, the mouth keeps the vowel shape while some airflow and resonance also pass through the nose.
Do beginners need to memorise every IPA symbol?
No. Start with one difficult contrast, connect the symbol to a mouth cue and example word, then practise it inside a short sentence.
Why can one French sound have several spellings?
French spelling developed over time, so the same sound may appear as different letter groups. IPA helps show the shared sound directly.