30 French Words that Learners Have Trouble Pronouncing

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Last Updated: August 31, 2022

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French pronunciation can be a total pain sometimes.

Difficult words to pronounce french to english

When I asked the people over at the Talk in French page on Facebook what the French words they simply couldn’t pronounce, I received a whole truckload of answers. As Elizabeth described it on her comment, “It’s easier to list the ones I can pronounce.”

I totally feel your pain. Which is why in this series of articles, I have provided the pronunciation for the most troublesome words submitted via the Facebook post. This is the 3rd part. You can also check out the

Part 1

Part 2

and

Part 4

So, are you ready? Let’s hear it!


Hurluberluan eccentric person, a weirdo(0:01 min)
Instructioneducation(0:14 min)
Jaune vs. jeuneJaune is yellow while jeune means young(0:27 min)
Je préféreraisI would prefer... (0:42 min)
Jouecheek (0:51 min)
Journalnewspaper(1:01 min)
JuilletJuly(1:14 min)
Jusjuice(1:25 min)
L’emploiemployment(1:36 min)
L'environnementthe environment(1:48 min)
La serrurerielocksmithing; the trade of a locksmith(2:00 min)
Le thétea(2:13 min)
Les oiseauxthe birds(2:25 min)
Libelluledragonfly(2:37 min)
Maintenantnow(2:50 min)
Malheureusementunfortunately(3:02 min)
Merci beaucoupthank you very much; thanks a lot(3:14 min)
Mille-feuillea French dessert made of thin layers
of puff pastry and fillings
(3:27 min)
ProbablementProbablement(6:07 min)
Prononciationpronunciation(6:19 min)

Which words on this list is the most difficult for you to pull off? Try practising it with the audio. You can also download a copy of the audio when you subscribe to the Talk in French newsletter.

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About the author 

Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram

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