French uses 5 accent marks that change how letters are pronounced or distinguish between words that would otherwise look identical. They primarily modify pronunciation (especially on the letter “e”) and are essential for reading and writing French correctly.
The 5 French Accents
| Accent | French Name | English Name | Used On |
|---|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu [aksɑ̃ tegy] | acute accent | e only |
| è, à, ù | accent grave [aksɑ̃ gʁav] | grave accent | e, a, u |
| ê, â, î, ô, û | accent circonflexe [aksɑ̃ siʁkɔ̃flɛks] | circumflex | all vowels |
| ë, ï, ü | tréma [tʁema] | diaeresis | e, i, u |
| ç | cédille [sedij] | cedilla | c only |
1. L’accent aigu (´) — The Acute Accent
Only appears on é. Produces a closed [e] sound.
| Letter | IPA | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| é | [e] | café [kafe] — coffee, été [ete] — summer, école [ekɔl] — school, étudiant [etydjɑ̃] — student |
Tip: This is the most common accent in French!
2. L’accent grave (`) — The Grave Accent
Appears on è, à, ù. On “e” it changes pronunciation to an open [ɛ]; on “a” and “u” it distinguishes meaning.
| Letter | IPA | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| è | [ɛ] | mère [mɛʁ] — mother, père [pɛʁ] — father, frère [fʁɛʁ] — brother |
| à | [a] | à [a] — to/at, là [la] — there, voilà [vwala] — here is |
| ù | [u] | où [u] — where |
Important Distinctions
| Without Accent | With Accent | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| a [a] — has (verb) | à [a] — to/at | Il a un chat. [il a œ̃ ʃa] — He has a cat. / Je vais à Paris. [ʒə vɛ a paʁi] — I’m going to Paris. |
| ou [u] — or | où [u] — where | Café ou thé? [kafe u te] — Coffee or tea? / Où est la gare? [u ɛ la gaʁ] — Where is the station? |
3. L’accent circonflexe (^) — The Circumflex
Can appear on all vowels: â, ê, î, ô, û. Often indicates a historical “s” that disappeared from the word.
| Letter | IPA | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| â | [ɑ] | château [ʃato] — castle, gâteau [ɡato] — cake, âge [aʒ] — age |
| ê | [ɛ] | fête [fɛt] — party, forêt [fɔʁɛ] — forest, être [ɛtʁ] — to be |
| î | [i] | île [il] — island, dîner [dine] — dinner |
| ô | [o] | hôtel [otɛl] — hotel, côte [kot] — coast, tôt [to] — early |
| û | [y] | sûr [syʁ] — sure, coût [ku] — cost, goût [ɡu] — taste |
Historical connection: Compare French to English cognates:
- forêt [fɔʁɛ] → forest
- hôpital [opital] → hospital
- île [il] → isle
- château [ʃato] → castle (Old French: castel)
4. Le tréma (¨) — The Diaeresis
Appears on ë, ï, ü. Indicates that two vowels should be pronounced separately, not as a single sound.
| Letter | Effect | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ë | pronounce separately | Noël [nɔɛl] — Christmas, canoë [kanɔe] — canoe |
| ï | pronounce separately | naïf [naif] — naive, maïs [mais] — corn, héroïque [eʁɔik] — heroic |
| ü | rare | ambiguë [ɑ̃biɡy] — ambiguous (feminine) |
Without tréma vs. with tréma:
- Noël [nɔɛl] = “no-EL” (two syllables) — not [nwɛl]
- maïs [mais] = “ma-EES” (two syllables) — not [mɛ]
5. La cédille (¸) — The Cedilla
Only appears on ç. Makes “c” soft [s] before a, o, u.
| Letter | IPA | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ç | [s] | français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] — French, garçon [ɡaʁsɔ̃] — boy, leçon [ləsɔ̃] — lesson, ça [sa] — that |
Why Is It Needed?
| Pattern | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| c + e, i | [s] automatically | ce [sə], ci [si] |
| c + a, o, u | [k] hard | café [kafe], comment [kɔmɑ̃], cuisine [kɥizin] |
| ç + a, o, u | [s] soft | ça [sa], leçon [ləsɔ̃], reçu [ʁəsy] |
Practice Sentences
- J’aime le café. [ʒɛm lə kafe] — I like coffee.
- Ma mère habite à Paris. [ma mɛʁ abit a paʁi] — My mother lives in Paris.
- Où est l’hôtel? [u ɛ lotɛl] — Where is the hotel?
- C’est la fête de Noël. [sɛ la fɛt də nɔɛl] — It’s the Christmas party.
- Le garçon parle français. [lə ɡaʁsɔ̃ paʁl fʁɑ̃sɛ] — The boy speaks French.
Exercise: Fill in the Correct Accent
Add the missing accent to each word:
- caf_ (coffee) → _______
- m_re (mother) → _______
- fran_ais (French) → _______
- No_l (Christmas) → _______
- h_tel (hotel) → _______
- g_teau (cake) → _______
- le_on (lesson) → _______
- o_ (where) → _______
Answers
- café [kafe] — coffee
- mère [mɛʁ] — mother
- français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] — French
- Noël [nɔɛl] — Christmas
- hôtel [otɛl] — hotel
- gâteau [ɡato] — cake
- leçon [ləsɔ̃] — lesson
- où [u] — where
Typing French Accents
On Windows
- Use the International Keyboard layout, or
- Hold Alt + type number codes (Alt+0233 = é)
On Mac
- Hold Option + e, then press the vowel (for acute: é)
- Hold Option + `, then press the vowel (for grave: è)
- Hold Option + i, then press the vowel (for circumflex: ê)
- Hold Option + c (for ç)
On Phone
Hold down the letter to see accent options!