OU vs U - French Pronunciation
The letter u is one of the most difficult sounds in the French language, at least for English speakers, both to pronounce and to distinguish from ou. Here are some tips and numerous sound files to help you hear and say the difference.
In French, ou is pronounced more or less like the ou in "soup." The French u, on the other hand, has no English equivalent - the closest sound is also the ou in soup, but the u sound is created further forward in the mouth (see how to pronounce the French u)
The following words are pronounced the same except for the vowel, so you can see that the different pronunciations can make a very big difference in meaning - click the links to hear each word pronounced.
When two words are listed on the same line, they are homophones (pronounced identically).
bu - pp* of boire (to drink) | le but - goal
laboue - mud | le bout - tip
la bûche - log
labouche - mouth
le bureau - desk, office
le bourreau - torturer**
lecul - ass | q - the letter q
lecou - neck | le coup - blow
dessus - on top
dessous - underneath
du - contraction of de + le | dû - pp of devoir (to have to)
doux - sweet
eu - pp of avoir (to have) | u - the letter u
ou - or | où - where
je jure - I swear
le jour - day
le jus - juice
la joue - cheek
lu - pp of lire (to read)
leloup - wolf
mû - pp of mouvoir (to move) | la mue - moulting
mou - soft | la moue - pout
nu - naked
nous - we, us
pu - pp of pouvoir | ça pue - that smells (from puer)
un pou - louse
la puce - flea
le pouce - thumb | la pousse - sprout
lepull - sweater
lapoule - hen
pur - pure
pour - for
larue - street
laroue - wheel
le russe - Russian
rousse - red-headed
su - pp of savoir (to know)
un sou - cent | sous - under
tu - you | tu - pp of taire (to be quiet) | il tue - he kills (from tuer)
tout - all | la toux - cough
le tutu - tutu (ballet skirt)
le toutou - doggie
vu - pp of voir (to see) | la vue - view
vous - you
*pp = past participle
**Not much of a difference in meaning between these two, is there?
Ha ha! :-)
You are here:Learn French > French for Beginners > Pronunciation > Letters > Vowels > O / U > OU > U vs OU
In French, ou is pronounced more or less like the ou in "soup." The French u, on the other hand, has no English equivalent - the closest sound is also the ou in soup, but the u sound is created further forward in the mouth (see how to pronounce the French u)
The following words are pronounced the same except for the vowel, so you can see that the different pronunciations can make a very big difference in meaning - click the links to hear each word pronounced.
When two words are listed on the same line, they are homophones (pronounced identically).
bu - pp* of boire (to drink) | le but - goal
laboue - mud | le bout - tip
la bûche - log
labouche - mouth
le bureau - desk, office
le bourreau - torturer**
lecul - ass | q - the letter q
lecou - neck | le coup - blow
dessus - on top
dessous - underneath
du - contraction of de + le | dû - pp of devoir (to have to)
doux - sweet
eu - pp of avoir (to have) | u - the letter u
ou - or | où - where
je jure - I swear
le jour - day
le jus - juice
la joue - cheek
lu - pp of lire (to read)
leloup - wolf
mû - pp of mouvoir (to move) | la mue - moulting
mou - soft | la moue - pout
nu - naked
nous - we, us
pu - pp of pouvoir | ça pue - that smells (from puer)
un pou - louse
la puce - flea
le pouce - thumb | la pousse - sprout
lepull - sweater
lapoule - hen
pur - pure
pour - for
larue - street
laroue - wheel
le russe - Russian
rousse - red-headed
su - pp of savoir (to know)
un sou - cent | sous - under
tu - you | tu - pp of taire (to be quiet) | il tue - he kills (from tuer)
tout - all | la toux - cough
le tutu - tutu (ballet skirt)
le toutou - doggie
vu - pp of voir (to see) | la vue - view
vous - you
*pp = past participle
**Not much of a difference in meaning between these two, is there?
Ha ha! :-)
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