French Pronunciation
The letter combination il has various pronunciations depending on what precedes it. Phonetic symbols are provided in [brackets].
Il is pronounced [il]
- on its own
- when preceded by a consonant
- in the letter combination "consonant + uil" (but not uille*)
 |
Par exemple… |
| il | he | |
| film | movie | |
| huile (f) | oil |
When preceded by any other vowel, the l in il is pronounced [j], as in all of these letter combinations (click for lessons and sound files):
| Combination | Example | |||
| ail | le bail | lease | ||
| eil | le soleil | sun | ||
| euil | le deuil | mourning | ||
| œil | un œil | eye | ||
| ouil | le fenouil | fennel | ||
| ueil | un accueil | welcome | ||
* L is also pronounced [j] in all vowel + ille combinations, including uille.
However, –ille may be pronounced [l] or [j] – take a look at LL for more info.
Related lessons
- Letters: I | L | LL
- French vowels
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