Verb drill
French alphabet drill: spell names aloud
Practise the French alphabet by spelling names aloud: the tricky letters G, J, E, I, U, R, W and Y, plus accents and double letters. Typed answers with checking.
- A1
- 10 answers
- Checked all at once
- Accents count
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
French letter names trip up English speakers on a handful of letters: G ("jé"), J ("ji"), E ("euh"), I ("i"), U ("u" with rounded lips), R ("ère"), W ("double vé") and Y ("i grec"). Say double letters as deux L, and accents as e accent aigu.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Letter | Sounds like | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| E | euh | not "ee" |
| I | ee | the English E sound |
| G | jé | English J sound |
| J | ji | English G-ish sound |
| R | ère | throat R |
| U | u (lips rounded) | not "you" |
| W | double vé | not double you |
| Y | i grec | "Greek i" |
1 · How do you say the letter?
- The letter G is said: (sounds like English J)
- The letter J is said: (rhymes with "ski")
- The letter W is said: (two V's)
- The letter Y is said: (Greek I)
- The letter E is said: (like "the" unstressed)
- The letter H is said: (like "ash")
2 · Spell aloud: how do you say the double or accent?
- JAMES: J, A, M, , S (the letter after M)
- EMMA: E, , A (double letter)
- ZOÉ: Z, O, (é)
- NOËL: N, O, , L (ë)
Vowels are where most mistakes happen: French A sounds like the English "ah", E like the vowel in "the", and I like the English letter E. When you spell your name, say each letter clearly and pause slightly between them; French listeners will usually repeat it back to check.
How do you spell your name on the phone in French?
On the phone, people often clarify with a word: B comme Bernard, D comme Daniel, M comme Marcel, N comme Nicolas. You can do the same: Smith, S comme Sophie, M comme Marie, I, T comme Thomas, H. For an email address, @ is arobase, . is point and - is tiret.
- Réceptionniste
Vous pouvez épeler votre nom ?
Can you spell your name?
- Vous
Oui : H, U, G, H, E, S. Hughes.
Yes: H, U, G, H, E, S. Hughes.
- Réceptionniste
H, U, G comme Gérard ?
H, U, G as in Gérard?
- Vous
C'est ça. Et mon prénom, c'est Ian : I, A, N.
That's it. And my first name is Ian: I, A, N.