Learn How to Pronounce [e], [é] and [è] | YouPronounce.it
How to Pronounce [e], [é] and [è]
(Listen to the audio below for the stress and intonation)
Meaning and Context
In the French language, the letters [e], [é], and [è] represent three critically distinct vowel sounds, forming a cornerstone of French phonetics and orthography. The acute accent, or accent aigu, on é (as in café) produces a closed, high-front vowel sound /e/, while the grave accent, or accent grave, on è (as in père) creates an open, mid-front vowel sound /ɛ/. The unadorned letter e, often called e muet or schwa, is typically a neutral, unstressed sound /ə/ that can be silent in certain positions, such as at the end of a word. Mastering these distinctions is essential not only for accurate French pronunciation and French accent marks but also for comprehension, as they can change meaning entirely—compare été (summer) and était (was). This knowledge is equally vital for linguists and language learners interpreting the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), where the symbols /e/, /ɛ/, and /ə/ precisely codify these sounds. A firm grasp of the French e sound variations and the rules governing the open e vs closed e is a non-negotiable milestone in achieving fluency and avoiding common French pronunciation mistakes.
Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings
The primary distinctions lie in the use of diacritical marks, which are non-optional in correct French spelling. A frequent error, especially for learners or in informal digital communication, is omitting the accents entirely, writing "cafe" instead of café or "mere" instead of mère, which are considered spelling mistakes and can obscure meaning. Conversely, using the wrong accent is a common typo, such as typing procédè (which mixes the accents incorrectly) instead of the correct procédé (process). The unaccented e is sometimes erroneously replaced with é in words where it should be silent or neutral, like writing je parté instead of je parte. In uppercase formatting, French typographic rules state that accents should be maintained (e.g., ÉCOLE), though they are sometimes omitted in older digital systems or due to user error. It's also worth noting that the circumflex accent on ê indicates a different historical or phonetic nuance, often corresponding to an open /ɛ/ sound as in fête, which can sometimes be confused with è.
Example Sentences
To perfect her accent, she practiced the subtle difference between the closed é in thé and the open è in faire.
The word le often contains a neutral e that is barely pronounced in fluent speech.
He consulted the International Phonetic Alphabet chart to confirm that the French word été is transcribed as /ete/.
A common beginner's mistake is pronouncing the e at the end of porte as an é, when it is actually silent.
The sentence Les jeunes élèves étaient très sévères is a excellent exercise for distinguishing all three sounds: the silent e in les, the open è in très and sévères, and the closed é in élèves.
In poetry, the scansion depends heavily on whether a mute e is elided or pronounced.