How to Pronounce Famous Places in France
Have you been mispronouncing these major tourist spots in France? Never make a mistake again with this simple pronunciation guide!
On this page
1. La Tour Eiffel2. Notre-Dame3. Louvre4. Arc de Triomphe5. Champs-Élysées6. Tuileries7. Père-Lachaise8. Sainte-Chapelle9. Palais Garnier10. Fontainebleau11. Hôtel de Ville12. les Invalides13. Panthéon14. Château de Chenonceau15. Basilique du Sacré-Cœur16. Musée d’Orsay17. Centre Georges Pompidou18. Versailles19. Montmartre20. AvignonLet’s face it. French monuments and tourist spots are about as hard to say as they are beautiful. They invite enough faux pas to make Lady Marianne cringe or the nearest hipster Parisian to laugh quietly behind his beard.
I normally don’t share pronunciations on social media because I would rather have French learners get to know the correct method for pronunciation, but for this one, I’ll make an exception.
Why, you ask?
Because we absolutely need to put an end to all the pronunciation massacres happening every single day. And of course, I want you to be able to say these French attractions correctly the next time you discuss them with your friends… or when you’re trying to be a French poser with your date.
Remember that this article is focused only on the pronunciations. The details about these top attractions are topics for other days.
So… Without much dawdling, here’s the list, with both English-style approximations and IPA transcriptions, for whichever method you prefer.
The English-style spellings are approximate. Here, ü stands for the French u sound [y]: say “ee” with your lips rounded, rather than saying “oo” or “you”. In Tuileries, glide from that rounded sound into “ee”. (n) marks a nasal vowel; do not add an “n” sound. Keep French vowels steady rather than turning “ay” or “oh” into English diphthongs.
Learn how to pronounce the names of French attractions and landmarks correctly!
1. La Tour Eiffel
/ lah too-reh-fehl /
[la tuʁ‿ɛfɛl]
2. Notre-Dame
/ noh-truh dahm /
[nɔtʁə dam]
3. Louvre
/ LOOVR /
[luvʁ]
4. Arc de Triomphe
/ark-duh-tree-AWNF/
[aʁk də tʁijɔ̃f]
5. Champs-Élysées
/shah(n)-zay-lee-ZAY/
[ʃɑ̃.ze.li.ze]
6. Tuileries
/tüeel-ree/
[tɥilʁi]
7. Père-Lachaise
/pehr-la-shez/
[pɛːʁ laʃɛːz]
8. Sainte-Chapelle
/seh(n)t sha-pehl/
[sɛ̃t ʃapɛl]
9. Palais Garnier
/pah-leh gahrn-ye/
[palɛ ɡaʁnje]
10. Fontainebleau
/foh(n)-ten-bloh/
[fɔ̃tɛnblo]
11. Hôtel de Ville
/o-tel duh-veel/
[otɛl də vil]
12. les Invalides
/leh zeh(n)-va-leed/
[lezɛ̃valid]
13. Panthéon
/pah(n)-tay-oh(n)/
[pɑ̃.te.ɔ̃]
14. Château de Chenonceau
/sha-toh duh shuh-noh(n)-soh/
[ʃa.to də ʃə.nɔ̃.so]
15. Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
/bah-zee-leek dü sah-kray-kuhr/
[bazilik dy sakʁe kœʁ]
16. Musée d’Orsay
/mü-zay dohr-seh/
[myze dɔʁsɛ]
17. Centre Georges Pompidou
/sah(n)-truh zhorzh poh(n)-pee-doo/
[sɑ̃tʁ ʒɔʁʒ pɔ̃pidu]
18. Versailles
/vehr-sigh/
[vɛʁsɑj]
19. Montmartre
/moh(n)-mar-truh/
[mɔ̃.maʁtʁ]
20. Avignon
/ah-vee-nyoh(n)/
[a.vi.ɲɔ̃]
