French Consonants

Quick Answer

The pronunciation of French consonants is fairly close to how we pronounce English consonants. However, some of these sounds have a lot of different spellings! In this article, you will learn all the French consonant sounds and the various ways in which they can be spelled.

Questions This Article Answers

How are French consonants pronounced?

What does the French R sound like?

Are there double consonants in French?

The Consonants

The pronunciation of French and English consonants is very similar. In the table below, each consonant is presented in the following way: First, the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) column gives you the phonetic symbol that represents the consonant sound. Then, you'll see all the different ways in which this consonant sound can appear in a French word! Finally, you'll see a French word that illustrates each of the different ways the sound can be spelled in French. C'est parti !(Let's go!)

How to Pronounce Consonants in French

IPAWays to Spell This SoundFrenchEnglish
bb, bbbateauabbéboat, abbot
dd, dddragonadditiondragon, addition
ff, ff, phfinalementdifférentphilosophiefinally, different, philosophy
gg, gg, gu, gh, cgalaxieaggraverguidespaghettisecondgalaxy, to aggravate, guide, spaghetti, second
kc, cc, cu, ccu, k, ck, qu, cqu, ch, cch, qcarotteaccusercueilliraccueillantkiwinickelquestionacquéreurorchestregnocchicinqcarrot, to accuse, to pick, welcoming, kiwi, nickel, question, buyer, orchestra, gnocchi, five
ll, llleçonalllesson, ally
mm, mmmémoiremammifèrememory, mammal
nn, nnnaturel