Top 10 French Pronunciation Mistakes and Difficulties

Many students find that pronunciation is the hardest part of learning French. The new sounds, the silent letters, the liaisons... they all combine to make speaking French very tricky. If you really want to perfect your French pronunciation, your best option is to work with a native French speaker, preferably one who specializes in accent training. If that is not possible, you need to take things into your own hands, by listening to French as much as possible, and by studying and practicing the pronunciation aspects that you find most difficult. Based on my own experience as well as that of other French learners, here is a list of the top French pronunciation difficulties and mistakes, with links to detailed lessons and sound files.


Pronunciation Difficulty 6 - H muet / aspiré

Whether it's an H muet or an H aspiré, the French H is always silent, yet it has a strange ability to act like a consonant or like a vowel. That is, the H aspiré, although silent, acts like a consonant and does not allow contractions or liaisons to occur in front of it. But the H muet acts like a vowel, so contractions and liaisons are required in front of it. Confusing? Just take the time to memorize the type of H for the most common words, and you're all set.
H muet | H aspiré


Pronunciation Difficulty 7 - Liaisons and Enchaînement

French words flow one into the next thanks to liaisons and enchaînement. This causes problems not only in speaking, but in listening comprehension as well. The more you know about liaisons and enchaînement, the better you'll be able to speak and understand what's being spoken.
Liaisons | Enchaînement


Pronunciation Difficulty 8 - Contractions

In French, contractions are required. Whenever a short word like je, me, le, la, or ne is followed by a word that begins with a vowel or H muet, the short word drops the final vowel, adds an apostrophe, and attaches itself to the following word. This is not optional, as it is in English - French contractions are required. Thus, you should never say "je aime" or "le ami" - it is always j'aime and l'ami. Contractions never occur in front of a French consonant (except H muet).
French Contractions


Pronunciation Difficulty 9 - Euphony

It may seem odd that French has specific rules about ways to say things so that they sound prettier, but that's the way it is. Familiarize yourself with the various euphonic techniques so that your French sounds pretty too.
Euphony


Pronunciation Difficulty 10 - Rhythm

Ever heard anyone say that French is very musical? That's partly because there are no stress marks on French words: all syllables are pronounced at the same intensity (volume). Instead of stressed syllables or words, French has rhythmic groups of related words within each sentence. It's kind of complicated, but if you read my lesson you'll get an idea of what you need to work on.
Rhythm


French pronunciation mistakes 1 - 5

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