close front unrounded vowel
as in vitePronunciation laboratory · no AI
Every sound.
Made visible.
Hear the sounds of French, see where they are formed and compare the distinctions your ear is learning to notice.
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Select a symbol to hear its example word.
French IPA chart
Vowels shape an open stream of air. Consonants interrupt or narrow it. Choose any card to inspect the sound.
V
Vowels
14 soundsclose-mid front vowel
as in étéopen-mid front vowel
as in pèreopen front vowel
as in patteopen back vowel
as in pâteopen-mid back rounded vowel
as in porteclose-mid back rounded vowel
as in eauclose back rounded vowel
as in toutschwa
as in leclose front rounded vowel
as in tuclose-mid front rounded vowel
as in deuxopen-mid front rounded vowel
as in sœurnasal open vowel
as in sansnasal front vowel
as in painC
Consonants
20 soundsvoiceless bilabial plosive
as in pèrevoiced bilabial plosive
as in beauvoiceless alveolar plosive
as in toutvoiced alveolar plosive
as in deuxvoiceless velar plosive
as in carvoiced velar plosive
as in garevoiceless labiodental fricative
as in faimvoiced labiodental fricative
as in vinvoiceless alveolar fricative
as in sacvoiced alveolar fricative
as in zérovoiceless postalveolar fricative
as in chatvoiced postalveolar fricative
as in jourbilabial nasal
as in mèrealveolar nasal
as in nouspalatal nasal
as in montagnealveolar lateral approximant
as in lireuvular French/German r
as in ruepalatal approximant
as in fillelabial-velar approximant
as in ouivoiced postalveolar affricate
as in djinn/i/ close front unrounded vowel
Keep the tongue high and forward; leave the lips relaxed.
- Sound type
- Vowel
- Position
- Front
- Action
- Close
- Voice
- Voiced
Put two sounds
side by side.
Useful contrasts reveal the small physical distinction that changes a word.
Which sound
did you hear?
Play an example, then identify its IPA symbol. This exercise uses the sounds currently visible in the chart.
0 correct · 0 attempted
Listen first, then choose a symbol.
Read the mouth,
not the alphabet.
- 01
Listen before copying
Play the whole example word. Notice where the target sound sits and what comes immediately before and after it.
- 02
Find the contact point
Use the mouth diagram to place the tongue and lips. A few millimetres can separate two phonemes.
- 03
Practise contrasts
Compare sounds that learners commonly merge. Hearing the distinction makes producing it much easier.