The French alphabet uses the same 26 letters as English, but the letter names, accents, and silent letters can feel unfamiliar at first. The goal for beginners is practical: recognize the letters, know their French names, and spell names, cities, and email addresses clearly.
The 26 French Letters
This list shows the full French alphabet. After the dash, you will see the French name of the letter and a word where it appears.
- – A, as in ami.
- – Bé, as in bonjour.
- – Cé, as in café.
- – Dé, as in deux.
- – E, as in école.
- – Effe, as in famille.
- – Gé, as in gare.
- – Hache, as in hôtel.
- – I, as in ici.
- – Ji, as in je.
- – Ka, as in kilo.
- – Elle, as in lune.
- – Emme, as in merci.
- – Enne, as in nuit.
- – O, as in orange.
- – Pé, as in pain.
- – Cu, as in qui.
- – Erre, as in rouge.
- – Esse, as in soleil.
- – Té, as in table.
- – U, as in une.
- – Vé, as in ville.
- – Double vé, as in wagon.
- – Ixe, as in taxi.
- – I grec, as in yoga.
- – Zède, as in zéro.
Examples:
- Paris commence par P. (Paris starts with P.)
- Café contient C. (Café contains C.)
Vowels and Accents
The basic French vowels are A, E, I, O, and U. The letter Y can also work like a vowel in some words. Accents are important because they are part of correct spelling.
- – As in ami.
- – As in école.
- – As in ici.
- – As in orange.
- – As in une.
- – As in yoga.
When spelling, you can also name common accents and signs. Notice the French name and the symbol it represents:
- Accent aigu – Acute accent: é.
- Accent grave – Grave accent: è.
- Accent circonflexe – Circumflex accent: ê.
- C cédille – C with cedilla: ç, as in français.
How to Spell in French
To ask someone to spell a word, use short, practical phrases. They are useful for names, surnames, cities, and email addresses.
- Comment ça s'écrit ? – How is it written?
- Vous pouvez épeler ? – Can you spell it?
- Ça commence par... – It starts with...
- Ça finit par... – It ends with...
- Double L – Double L
- Majuscule – Capital letter
- Minuscule – Lowercase letter
Examples:
- Comment ça s'écrit Lyon ? L-Y-O-N. (How do you spell Lyon? L-Y-O-N.)
- C'est double L, pas un seul L. (It is double L, not one L.)
Common Mistakes
Ignoring accents
In French, accents are not decoration. They are part of the written word, so it is worth learning them early, especially in common words like café and français.
Confusing G and J when spelling
For English speakers, G and J can be tricky because their French names do not match the English pattern. When spelling, say the letter name slowly and clearly.
Forgetting that H is often silent
The H is written in words like hôtel and homme, but it is normally not pronounced like a strong English h. It still matters for correct spelling.
Practice with real words: Paris, café, Lyon, français, hôtel, wagon, and zéro. If you can recognize their letters, accents, and spelling phrases, you have a useful base for beginner French conversations.