French Accents
French has five accents, and they are not decoration. They change how a word is pronounced, and sometimes what it means: a and à, ou and où, sur and sûr are different words. In an exam, a missing accent is a spelling mistake.
In this guide
The five accents at a glance
Strictly speaking, the cedilla and the tréma are diacritics rather than accents, but learners usually call them all accents.
| Accent | Name | On which letters | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu | e only | été, café |
| è, à, ù | accent grave | e, a, u | mère, à, où |
| ê, â, î, ô, û | accent circonflexe | all vowels | forêt, château, île, hôtel, sûr |
| ç | cédille | c only | ça, garçon |
| ë, ï, ü | tréma | e, i, u | Noël, maïs |
L’accent aigu: é
Only on e. It gives the closed sound [e], as in café, été, réponse.
It is very common at the end of past participles of -er verbs: parlé, mangé, allé.
L’accent grave: è, à, ù
On e, it gives the open sound [ɛ], as in mère, très, problème.
On a and u, it does not change the sound. It distinguishes words:
| Without accent | With accent |
|---|---|
| a (has): il a faim | à (to, at): je vais à Paris |
| ou (or): thé ou café ? | où (where): où habites-tu ? |
| la (the): la maison | là (there): je suis là |
L’accent circonflexe: â, ê, î, ô, û
The circumflex often marks a letter, usually an s, that disappeared from the spelling centuries ago. This is a great tip for English speakers, because English often kept the s:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| forêt | forest |
| hôpital | hospital |
| fête | feast |
| château | castle |
| île | isle |
| intérêt | interest |
It also distinguishes some words: du (some) / dû (owed, past participle of devoir), sur (on) / sûr (sure), mur (wall) / mûr (ripe).
On ê, it gives an open sound similar to è: forêt, fête.
La cédille: ç
The cedilla goes under c before a, o, u to keep the soft [s] sound:
- ça, garçon, reçu, français, nous commençons
Without it, c before a, o, u sounds like [k]: café, comme, cuisine. Before e and i, c is already soft, so no cedilla is needed: ce, ici.
Le tréma: ë, ï, ü
The tréma shows that two vowels are pronounced separately:
- Noël (no-ël), maïs (ma-ïs), naïf (na-ïf)
Accents on capital letters
Accents should be kept on capitals: États-Unis, À bientôt, ÉCOLE. The Académie française considers them part of the spelling, and leaving them out can create ambiguity. Many people drop them in casual typing, but in exams and formal writing, keep them.
The 1990 spelling reform
The 1990 recommendations made the circumflex optional on i and u: connaître or connaitre, coût or cout. Both spellings are accepted. The circumflex is kept where it changes the meaning (dû, sûr, mûr) and in some verb endings (nous fûmes). Whichever spelling you choose, be consistent.
How to type French accents
| Device | Method |
|---|---|
| Phone (iPhone or Android) | Press and hold the letter, then choose the accent |
| Mac | Press and hold the letter, then choose the accent |
| Windows | In your language settings, add a keyboard with French accents. Common choices are “Canadian Multilingual Standard” and “United States-International” (names can vary slightly by Windows version) |
| Any device | Copy the letter from a list, as a last resort |
Practice
Add the missing accents.
- Il a ete tres content.
- Ou est le garcon ?
- Je vais a l’hopital.
- C’est sur, il est la.
- Nous commencons a huit heures.
- Ma mere adore le the.
- Noel est une fete importante.
- Tu preferes la foret ou la mer ?
Show the answers
- Il a été très content.
- Où est le garçon ?
- Je vais à l’hôpital.
- C’est sûr, il est là.
- Nous commençons à huit heures.
- Ma mère adore le thé.
- Noël est une fête importante.
- Tu préfères la forêt ou la mer ?
Frequently asked questions
Do French accents change pronunciation?
Some do: é and è have different sounds, ç makes a soft [s] sound and the tréma separates two vowels. Others, like the accent on à or où, only distinguish meaning.
Is a missing accent a mistake?
Yes. In exams, it counts as a spelling mistake, and it can change the meaning of a word.
Do I need accents on capital letters?
Yes, in formal writing and exams. The Académie française recommends keeping them.