The French soundboard

A

(ah)

ah as in father — ami

B

(bay)

b — baguette

C

(say)

k; s before e/i — café

D

(day)

d — dessert

E

(uh)

uh, often silent at the end — le

F

(ef)

f — fromage

G

(zhay)

g; zh before e/i — gare

H

(ahsh)

always silent — hôtel

I

(ee)

ee — ici

J

(zhee)

zh as in measure — jour

K

(kah)

k (rare) — kilo

L

(el)

l — lait

M

(em)

m — merci

N

(en)

n — nuit

O

(oh)

oh — oui

P

(pay)

p — pain

Q

(kew)

k — quai

R

(ehr)

throaty r — rue

S

(es)

s; z between vowels — salut

T

(tay)

t — thé

U

(ew)

lips round, say ee — rue

V

(vay)

v — vin

W

(doo-bluh-vay)

v or w (rare) — wagon

X

(eeks)

ks — taxi

Y

(ee-grek)

ee — stylo

Z

(zed)

z — zéro

ou

(oo)

as in vous

eau / au

(oh)

as in eau

ai

(eh)

as in j'ai

on

(ohn (nasal))

as in bonjour

an / en

(ahn (nasal))

as in enfant

in

(an (nasal))

as in vin

ch

(sh)

as in chat

gn

(ny)

as in montagne

Silent endings

(—)

the last consonant is usually silent: Paris = pah-ree