French consonant
The letter S has two pronunciations in French as in English. The French pronunciation of S in any given word can be determined with specific rules.
Soft pronunciation
Phonetic symbol [s]
- at the beginning of a word or syllable
- at the end of a syllable
- at the end of a word (very rare; it’s usually silent)
- before or after a consonant
- whenever there is a double S
 |
Par exemple… |
| the letter s | ||
| la soupe | soup | |
| le stade | stadium | |
| le fils | son | |
| le poisson | fish | |
Hard pronunciation
Phonetic symbol [z]
|
Par exemple… |
| le visage | face | |
| ils ont | they have |
Related lessons
- Letter combination: SC
- Introduction to consonants
- French alphabet
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