ΠLigature

Ligature

When the French letters o and e are pronounced as a single sound,* they combine into a symbol called a ligature: œ. The pronunciation of this symbol depends on the letter(s) that follow it.

• œ plus any consonant is pronounced [e]
   – except when followed by st, when it’s pronounced [ɛ]
• œu follows the same pronunciation rules as eu
• œ followed by il is pronounced like eu – learn more: œil

Par exemple…

un œnologue		oenologist
un œsophage		esophagus
œstrogène (m)		estrogen
un vœu		wish
un œuf		egg
un cœur		heart

  *O and e do not form a ligature when they are pronounced separately, such as when the e is accented – learn more.

 Typing oe when it should be œ is a spelling mistake, so learn how to type accents.

 Related lessons

• Letters: O | E
• Vowels
• Accents
• Consonants
• How to type French accents

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