2.2: Silent Letters at the End of Words
- Page ID
- 266024
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)In this section, you will learn how to identify silent letters at the ends of words.
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.
Let's study!
"Silent Letters" by William J Carrasco is licensed under CC BY 4.0Silent letters at the end of words
In French, there are quite a few silent letters at the end of words. Consonants and vowels may both be silent. Here are some examples (silent letters in boldface):
danse, draps, muet
In the words above, the letters e, ps, and t are silent.
Most final consonants are not pronounced in French. Also, sometimes, clusters of letters are silent, such as:
C'est, donnent, étudiants
Since most consonants are silent at the end of words in French, it is easier to keep in mind the words that are not silent. The letters c, r, f, l are usually pronounced at the end of words. Think of the word CaReFuL (or LuCiFeR) to remember these letters.
It is easier with vowels. Only the vowel e is silent at the end of a word. Indeed, an unaccented -e (or -es) at the end of a word is usually silent:
française, plage, rêves, nuages
On this page, we will examine final letters that are silent as well as exceptions to the CaReFuL rule.
The following letters are generally silent at the end of words in French.
|
Letter |
Examples |
Pronounced when followed by -e |
|---|---|---|
|
-d |
canard , quand |
fade, stade |
|
-p |
trop |
clope |
|
-s |
tas, draps |
phase |
|
-t |
chocolat, appétit |
petite |
|
-x |
prix |
— |
|
-z |
nez |
— |
|
-e |
jeune, fille, danse, père. |
- When these letters are followed by the plural -s, they remain silent: draps, petits, grands, filles etc.
- The letters d, p, s, t, x and z may be pronounced whenever there is a liaison.
The CRFL rule: Letters that are silent at the end of words under certain conditions
According to the CRFL (i.e., “carfeul") rule, if a word ends with a c, r, f, or l, you are going to pronounce them. However, under certain conditions these consonants will be silent:
|
Consonants |
Conditions and examples |
Exceptions and special cases |
|---|---|---|
|
-c |
précédé par “n” : franc, banc, tronc |
mots particuliers : estomac, porc, tabac, clerc |
|
-r |
(a) infinitifs (-er) : parler, aimer, danser (b) substantifs et adjectifs : escalier, premier |
Exception : r prononcé : amour, hiver, amer, cancer, enfer, cuiller, fleur Cas spécial : r muet : monsieur |
|
-f |
mots particuliers : nerf, clef, cerf, serf |
Cas spécial : f muet dans le pluriel : des oeufs |
|
-l |
(a) mots de plus d’une syllabe : fusil, gentil, outil (b) mots particuliers : soûl, cul |
Letters that are (almost) always pronounced at the end of words
As mentioned above, when the consonants l, c, f, r, k, and b are placed at the end of a word, most of the time, they are pronounced. All other consonants are usually not pronounced.
un parc, un club, une chef, un look, avril, le four
But there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes letters that are usually silent can be pronounced. Here are a few examples of such exceptions:
minimum, un index, un autobus, le sud, le gaz huit
When it comes to vowels, it is easy, because all vowels are pronounced, except for the letter e.
cinéma, cacao, fini, vu, jockey
In the case of most words that are more than one syllable, and that end in -er, the e and the r combine and make the é sound. This is also the case with most verbs that end in -er.
manger, travailler, skier, ouvrier, damier, cendrier
earning how to pronounce correctly takes time and practice. Above all, you need to listen to as much French as possible.
- Watch this video for a general introduction to French Pronunciation.
- Watch this tutorial on Silent letters, then answer this question: What are the CRFL and Big Good Quality Kale rules?
- You can practice your French pronunciation with this Video tutorial: Pronounce the 100 most common French words. Try to repeat everything you hear (practice makes perfect).
- You can listen to how specific words are pronounced by visiting the How to Pronounce channel on YouTube.
- You can hear audio recordings of French words and more at: audiofrench.com. If you want to go all out, consult the French Pronunciation: Ultimate Guide.
- Have fun practicing your pronunciation with these tongue-twisters, or virelangues. Also try les virelangues.
- Practice French pronunciation with this video of illustrated French sounds.
Let's practice!
Activity A
Listen and say if the letter at at the end of each word is silent or pronounced.
- bac
- koala
- naïf
- arriver
- croissant
- heureux
- bonheur
- yeux
- tour
- un palmier
Activity B
Look at the words below and put them in the right column.
| Words whose final letter is silent | Words whose final letter is pronounced |
|---|---|
- béret
- nid (nest)
- trop (too much)
- bref (brief)
- quand (when)
- tout (everything)
- bec (beak)
- rare
- avec (with)
- dans (in)
- bol (bowl)
- koala
- naïf
- arriver
- croissant
- heureux (happy)
- bonheur (happiness)
- yeux (eyes)
- un tour
- un palmier
Activity C
Listen to and read the text below. Double underline final letters that are silent and underline letters that are pronounced.
[AUDIO]
Les artistes : Amadou & Mariam
Amadou et Mariam sont nés à Bamako au Mali, Amadou, le 24 octobre 1954 et Mariam, le 15
avril 1958. Amadou et Mariam sont tous les deux aveugles. Amadou est devenu aveugle à
l’âge de 16 ans et sa femme à l’âge de 5 ans. Ils se marient en 1980 et forme un groupe à la même époque. Dans leur groupe, Mariam chante et Amadou joue de la guitare.
En 1986, ils émigrent en Côte d’Ivoire et commence une longue ascension vers la notoriété
internationale. Amadou et Mariam jouent leur musique dans de nombreux pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest mais aussi en France, en Suisse , Allemagne, en Angleterre et aux Etats-Unis.
Source: https://opentextbc.ca/francaisinteractif/chapter/02-comprehension-orale/