OUIL / OUILL / OUILLE - French Pronunciation

The letters OUIL, OUILL, and OUILLE are commonly mispronounced by French students, who tend to say [wi], as in the word oui,* or even [uwi], to rhyme with "chewy." But the l makes all the difference: the correct pronunciation for all of these spellings is [uj], as if you are pronouncing the oo in "food" followed by a y sound.

French words with OUIL, OUILL, and OUILLE

Click on the links below to hear the words pronounced in French:

   le fenouil   (fennel)

   le brouillard   (fog)

   la grenouille   (frog)

   la trouille   (fear)

   bouillir   (to boil)

   chatouiller   (to tickle)

   débrouiller   (to untangle)

Note that LL preceded by OUI is always pronounced like a y, but this is not necessarily the case for other words with LL.

*The pronunciation [wi] is also found in the letter combination consonant + UIL / UILLE.


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