Post Beginner French Lesson
Pronunciation: Silent letters
One of the difficulties with French pronunciation is that the spelling and pronunciation do not always match. French, like English, is not a phonetic language.
There are three types of silent letters in French:
- E muet / Elision
- H muet and aspire
- Final Consanants
We will concentrate here on the rule and some exceptions for Final Consonants.
Basic Rule: most consonants that come at the very end of a word are not pronounced but there are many exceptions, some of which have been detailed below.
| Final Consonant | Silent | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|
B |
le plomb | un club un pub |
C |
l’estomac blanc le porc un tronc |
avec un Turc un parc |
| F | un nerf une clef |
actif neuf œuf |
L |
un fusil gentil outil sourcil œil |
avril le miel le mal du sel un bol |
R |
parler le premier un boulanger un boucher |
par hier hiver sur |
Other Exceptions:
There are particular words, besides those ending in B, C, F, L & R that have pronounced final consonants, many are words borrowed from foreign languages:
un as, des biceps, un fils, un index, mars, un ours, le sens, un autobus, le tennis, un oasis, express, stop, un clown, le maïs, un contact, un impact, un script, abrupt, un slip.
There are many exceptions to the basic rule and only a few are recorded here. Our recommendation is that you make a note of new ones you come across for future reference.