5 Common French Pronunciation Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Every French learner makes pronunciation mistakes—it's a natural part of the learning process. But some errors are so common among English speakers that they're almost universal. The good news? Once you're aware of these patterns, you can actively work to correct them.

If you're looking for a comprehensive deep-dive into French sounds, check out our complete French pronunciation guide for English speakers. This article focuses on the five most common mistakes and quick fixes.

Here are the five most common French pronunciation mistakes and practical strategies to fix them.

1. Pronouncing Silent Letters

French is notorious for its silent letters. Unlike English, where most letters are pronounced, French leaves many letters silent—particularly at the ends of words.

The Mistake

English speakers often pronounce letters that should be silent:

• "Petit" becomes "peh-TEET" instead of "puh-TEE"
• "Beaucoup" becomes "bow-KOOP" instead of "bow-KOO"
• "Parlez" becomes "par-LEZ" instead of "par-LAY"

The Fix

Learn the general rules:

• Final consonants are usually silent (except C, R, F, L—remember "CaReFuL")
• The letter "e" at the end of words is typically silent
• The combination "ent" at the end of verbs is silent

Practice with audio and shadow native speakers to internalize these patterns naturally.

2. The French "R" Sound

The French "r" is one of the most distinctive sounds in the language, and it's completely different from the English "r."

The Mistake

English speakers tend to use their familiar "r" sound, produced at the front of the mouth with the tongue tip. The French "r" is a uvular fricative, produced at the back of the throat.

The Fix

Try these exercises:

1. Gargle with water and notice the back of your throat vibrating
2. Make a gentle "clearing your throat" sound—this is close to the French "r"
3. Practice words like "rouge," "Paris," and "rue" while focusing on keeping your tongue flat and relaxed

The sound should feel like it comes from the same place as a "k" or "g" sound, but with friction instead of a full stop.

3. Nasal Vowels

French has four nasal vowels that don't exist in English. These sounds are produced by allowing air to flow through both the mouth and nose.

The Mistake

English speakers either:

• Add an "n" or "m" sound after the vowel
• Skip the nasal quality entirely

So "bon" becomes "bonn" or just "bow" instead of the proper nasal sound.

The Fix

The key is to let air flow through your nose WITHOUT pronouncing the following "n" or "m":

• Practice humming while holding a vowel sound
• Place a finger under your nose—you should feel air for nasal vowels
• Listen and shadow native speakers extensively

4. The French "U" vs "OU"

French distinguishes between two sounds that don't have equivalents in English: the "u" (as in "tu") and "ou" (as in "tout").

The Mistake

English speakers often pronounce both as "oo" (like in "food"), making "tu" and "tout" sound identical.

The Fix

For the French "u":

1. Say "ee" as in "feet"
2. Keep your tongue in that exact position
3. Round your lips tightly as if saying "oo"

The result is a sound that combines the tongue position of "ee" with the lip position of "oo." Practice with word pairs:

• "tu" (you) vs "tout" (all)
• "su" (known) vs "sous" (under)
• "rue" (street) vs "roue" (wheel)

5. Liaison and Enchainement

French words flow together in connected speech through liaison (linking a normally silent consonant to the next word) and enchainement (connecting a pronounced consonant to the following vowel).

The Mistake

English speakers tend to pronounce each word separately with small pauses between them, which sounds choppy and unnatural.

The Fix

Learn common liaison patterns:

• "Les amis" = "lay-za-mee" (the "s" connects to "amis")
• "Un ami" = "uh-na-mee" (the "n" connects)
• "Petit ami" = "puh-tee-ta-mee" (the "t" connects)

Practice entire phrases as single units rather than individual words. Shadowing is particularly effective here because you naturally pick up the connected speech patterns.

Bringing It All Together

The common thread in fixing all these pronunciation issues is active listening and imitation. Reading about French sounds helps, but nothing replaces actually hearing native speakers and practicing reproduction.

This is exactly why we built Spokira around the shadowing method. Rather than just teaching you rules, we help you train your ears and mouth through consistent practice with native audio and AI-powered feedback.

Your Action Plan

1. This week: Focus on one pronunciation area at a time
2. Daily: Spend 5-10 minutes shadowing native speakers
3. Regularly: Record yourself and compare to native audio

Keep Learning

• Deep dive into sounds: French Pronunciation for English Speakers — detailed mouth positions and exercises for every difficult sound
• Build speaking skills: French Speaking Practice Guide — a complete guide for A2–B1 learners
• Travel prep: French for Travel — speak confidently on your trip in 7 days