A bit of background for this language that we love.
In French, E is the only letter that can be modified with l'accent aigu, the acute accent. With the accent, it may be called either e accent aigu or simply é, pronounced [e]. As indicated by the latter, the acute accent changes the vowel's pronunciation to [e]. 
B1 French Lessons and Practice - Intermediate French
The circumflex, aka "little hat," is the only French accent that may be found on each of the five vowels. In any given word, the circumflex may serve one or more purposes. 
B1 French Lessons and Practice - Intermediate French
B1 French Lessons and Practice - Intermediate French
B2 French Lessons and Practice - Upper-Intermediate French
The International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA, is a set of characters used to standardize pronunciation explanations across languages. It uses a unique symbol for each sound, which makes discussions of different languages much easier. 
If you're just starting to learn French, you might find it interesting to learn some basics about French linguistics and grammar. A1 French Lessons and Practice - Beginning French
