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
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Par exemple… |
the letter s | ||
la soupe | soup | |
le stade | stadium | |
le fils | son | |
le poisson | fish |
Hard pronunciation
Phonetic symbol [z]
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Par exemple… |
le visage | face | |
ils ont | they have |
Related lessons
- Letter combination: SC
- Introduction to consonants
- French alphabet
En español
In italiano
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