About Diacritical Marks Used in French

Learning French is a fun experience that opens up the world around you. The French language contains diacritical marks that aid with its pronunciation, which makes it easier to learn once you know the rules. There are five diacritical marks in this language.

Accent aigu and accent grave

Accent aigu is French for “acute accent.” This accent mark can only appear on the letter “E.” The mark, when placed on an “E” appears as “É.” This accent gives it a rounded sound, very much like the long “A” sound in English. Accent grave means “grave accent.” It is used on “A,” “E” and “U.” On a “U,” it looks like this: “Ù.” This mark causes the letter to have a shorter sound. On the letter “E,” it would sound similar to the short “E” sound in English.

Accent circonflexe

Circonflexe is translated as “circumflex” in English. This accent is used on “A,” “E,” “I,” “O” and “U.” On an "O," the mark looks like this: “Ô.” This makes longer vowel sounds. For example, “Ê” would sound like the long “E” in English.

Accent tréma

This accent translates to “dieresis or “umlaut” in English. This mark is used on “E,” “I” or “U.” It appears on an “I” as, “Ï.” It is used when two vowels are beside each other and both require pronunciation. For example, in “naive,” it is placed on the “I” since both sounds, “A” and “I,” are required to say the word correctly.

Cédille

This translates to "cedilla" in English. This mark is only used on a “C.” It looks like this: “Ç​.” This mark causes the “C” to sound much softer, equivalent to the “S’ sound in English.

When you learn to recognize the diacritical marks used by the French, proper pronunciation is much easier. These five diacritical marks are essential elements of the language of Love.