The French alphabet: 26 letters and how to say each one

The French alphabet has 26 letters: six vowels and twenty consonants [1]. Each letter has a French name, such as “double vé” for W and “igrec” for Y [2]. This page lists all 26 letters with their names, then answers the questions people ask most: how to say A, W and U, how to spell a word aloud, and which accents and joined letters go with the alphabet. For the sounds those letters make inside words, read French pronunciation practice. To memorize the names, you can make cards with French flashcards. For the whole path as an adult in Canada, start at Learn French as an adult in Canada.

Source: Académie française, Dictionnaire, 9th edition (2024), entry “lettre”, opened 22 October 2026.

Here are the 26 letters with the French name the Académie française gives for each, and an approximate English “sounds like” that is our own wording [2].

What is the alphabet in French?

The alphabet in French is l’alphabet, and the Académie française counts 26 letters in it, six vowels and twenty consonants [1]. The vowels are a, e, i, o, u and y [2]. The Académie defines an alphabet as a series, in a fixed order, of all the letters used in a language [3]. Larousse describes it as a system of graphic signs in a conventional order, used to write the sounds of a language [11].

How do you say A in French?

The letter A is the first letter and the first vowel of the French alphabet [2]. In words, the OQLF says French has two kinds of A. The front A [a] is in patte, and the back A [ɑ] is in pâte, with the tongue pulled back [8]. The OQLF says the A is usually back when it ends a word, as in Canada, or when it is a long vowel [8]. It adds that the two sounds have blurred for many speakers in Europe, while the distinction stayed alive in spoken Québec French [8].

How do you say W in French?

The letter W is called “double vé” in French [2]. In words, the OQLF says a W at the start of a word is generally said either as [v] or as [w] [5]. The OQLF says the [v] sound is often found in words of German origin, and its list of words said with [v] includes wagon, weber and wisigoth [5]. The [w] sound, like the “ou” of oui, shows up in words borrowed from English, such as web, whisky and watt [5]. A few words allow both [5].

The OQLF also gives the spoken form of the start of a web address: “double vé double vé double vé” or “triple double vé”. It advises against “trois double vé” [4].

How do you say the letters in “I love U” in French?

The letters I and U are said “ee” and “ü” in French, so “I love U” read with French letter names starts with “ee” and ends with “ü”. The French U is the vowel [y] [7], and the Académie française describes it as a rounded vowel [2]. The OQLF’s own example of the letter in a spelled-out string is “jé-o-u-vé” for gouv [4].

The word “love” is English, and the phrase “I love you” in French is a separate search that this page does not cover.

How is the French alphabet pronounced?

The French alphabet is pronounced by saying each letter’s French name, as in the table above [2]. Two habits help. First, say the vowel letters as pure sounds: “o” and “u” are the vowels [o] and [y] in the OQLF’s spelled-out example “o‑ku‑èl‑èf” for oqlf [4]. Second, use a spelling code when a letter could be misheard.

The OQLF suggests a code built mostly from first names. A is Alice, B Berthe, C Charles, G Georges, M Marie, Q Québec, W William and Z Zoé [6]. You say it as G comme Georges. The OQLF advises against “G comme dans Georges” and “G pour Georges” [6]. You can name only the letters likely to be confused and give the rest plainly [6].

What are the French letters with accents?

The French letters with accents are ordinary alphabet letters with a sign added. The OQLF names those signs as the acute, grave and circumflex accents, the cedilla and the tréma [9]. It says each sign, added to a letter, changes how the letter is said or tells apart words that sound alike, as with où and ou [9]. The page gives levé and lève as an example of a closed and an open e [9].

The Académie française counts the alphabet at 26 letters [1]. Accents, the cedilla and the tréma are signs added to those letters [9], not extra entries in the count.

French also has joined letters, called ligatures. The OQLF gives œ and æ, as in cœur, œuvre and curriculum vitæ, and says their two parts must not be separated [10].

What is ABC in French?

In French, abc is a masculine noun for the book where people learned to read, and it is a synonym of alphabet [12]. Larousse also gives it a second meaning, the first elements of a science, a technique or an activity [12]. Larousse lists abécédaire as a synonym of alphabet as well [11].

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Common mistakes

• Saying W as the English “double-u”. The French name is “double vé” [2].
• Reading U as the English “you”. The French letter U is the vowel [y] [7], not the English “you” sound.
• Using one rule for every W in a word. At the start of a word, W is said as [v] in some words and as [w] in others [5].
• Spelling aloud with “G for Georges”. The OQLF recommends “G comme Georges” [6].
• Adding accents to the letter count. The Académie française gives 26 letters, and the OQLF treats accents as signs added to a letter [1][9].
• Relying on a letter-name table from a blog, including this one. The official pages change. Compare each page’s own date with the date at the top of this one.

See also: how to say I love you in French and basic French words.

See also: French accent marks and typing on a French keyboard and how to speak with a French accent.

Sources