How to Use French Accent Marks
There are five diacritical marks, also commonly referred to as accents or diacritics, in French. Some of them indicate how to pronounce a letter, while others help distinguish between two words that would otherwise be spelled the same. In this article, you will learn what they are and how to write accents in French!
Questions This Article Answers
What are the diacritical marks in French?
How many diacritical marks are there in French?
How many accents are there in French?
What are the French diacritical marks?
What are the French accents?
What are the accent marks in French?
Do French diacritical marks change the pronunciation of a word?
Do French accents change the pronunciation of a word?
What are some words with French accents?
What are some French words with accent marks?
What's a French accent mark?
What are some French accented letters?
What is the French accent mark called?
Which accents are used in French?
What are acute and grave accents in French?
The French Diacritical Marks
A diacritical mark is a shape or a stroke attached to or placed near a letter. It sometimes indicates how the letter should be pronounced, but not always. Let's start with the names of accents in French!
The dotted circle in the first column below is just a placeholder for the letter that would accompany the diacritical mark. It's not the letter O.
The Names of the Diacritics in French
| Diacritic | Name | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
◌́ | l'accent aigu | écrire | to write |
◌̀ | l'accent grave | père | father |
◌̂ | l'accent circonflexe | hôtel | hotel |
◌̈ | le tréma | Noël | Christmas |
◌̦ | la cédille | français | French |
Now, let's dive a little deeper!
The Accent Aigu
The accent aigu(acute accent) in French only appears on the letter É.
The accent aigu on É indicates that the letter E should be pronounced ey, as in the English word hey. Let's look at some words with an accent aigu in French.
How to Use the Accent Aigu in French
The Accent Grave
The accent grave(grave accent) in French only appears on the letters À, È, and Ù.
The accent grave on an È indicates that the letter E should be pronounced eh, as in the English words bed and pear. Let's look at some words with an accent grave.
How to Use the Accent Grave in French
À and Ù
The accent grave on À and Ù does not change the pronunciation of letters A and U. Still, the accent grave on À and Ù is important when writing in French because you might end up with a completely different word if you forget it! Let's take a look at some examples.
The Accent Grave on À and Ù in French
The Accent Circonflexe
The accent circonflexe(the circumflex) in French appears on Â, Ê, Î, Ô, and Û.
The accent circonflexe is, in many cases, simply a historical marker that signals a long-lost -s- from Old French.
A Bit of History
Following the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, many Old French words were introduced into the English language. Many of the French words that contain an accent circonflexe today used to have an -s- right after the now-circumflexed vowel. This -s- disappeared in French but survived in English! If you ever come across a French word with an accent circonflexe and you do not recognize it, try adding an -s- right after the vowel that has the accent circonflexe, and you may be able to figure out the meaning of the word! Here are a few examples:
Examples of the Accent Circonflexe in French
The Tréma
The tréma(dieresis) in French only appears on Ë, Ï, and Ü. The tréma is used to separate the vowel it appears on from the adjacent vowel, indicating that the two vowels must be pronounced separately. For example:
Examples of the Tréma in French
The Cédille
The cédille(cedilla) in French only appears on Ç. It indicates that the letter C must be pronounced like the S in the English word sun. For example:
Examples of the Cédille in French
Learn all about sounds in French with these articles!
