OU

French pronunciation

The French letter combination OU is normally pronounced as a single vowel similar to ou in the English word "you" except it doesn’t diphthong into [w] at the end. IPA spelling: [u].

 This sound can be difficult for English speakers to distinguish from the French letter U – see OU vs U.

Par exemple…

ou sound
le cou		neck
douze		twelve
ou		or
pour		for
vous		you

When followed by another vowel, ou is pronounced as the semi-vowel [w]*

Par exemple…

ouest		west
oui		yes

* Except in the letter combination ouil.

 Related lessons

• Letters: O | U
• OU vs U
• French vowels

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