Can we help?
+33 (0) 4 50 79 08 38
We all speak English and French!
Send an emailBook NowSummer Camp activity programmes now available! Find out more
10 English words the French can’t pronounce and 10 French words the English can’t pronounce
Did you know the French can’t say ‘hedge-hog’ and the English struggle with ‘roi’.
Read on to learn more English words the French can’t pronounce and also French words the English can’t pronounce.
English tongue-twisters
Thorough and Through “fuh-ruh” and “froo”
The ‘th’ sound doesn’t exist in French, and how could you know that ‘ough’ is pronounced differently in both words!
Beach “beech”
French people can’t help pronouncing this word the same as a female dog, much to most English people’s amusement!
Hedgehog “hedge-hog”
Actually pronounced as written, but still a bit of a mouthful for French speakers!
Jewellery “jool-ry”
Is a tricky one with the confusing ‘w’ and extra ‘e’ to throw French speakers off the pronunciation scent!
Squirrel “sque-rul”
A word that is equally as difficult for French speakers to say in English and English speakers to say in French (see below).
Rural “roar-rul”
Another English word that is not pronounced anything like it’s written…
Clothes “clo-f-s”
Such a seemingly simple word, but French speakers struggle with the ‘th’ in the middle of the word, along with the ‘es’ and often pronounce it more like “clos-is”.
Crisps “k-risp-s”
Yes the humble British sandwich sidekick isn’t easy for French speakers to wrap their tongues round either. It must be something to do with the ‘ps” sound at the end.
Angry and hungry “ang-ree” “hung-ree”
Not to be confused with the newly coined ‘hangry’ which means you’re angry because you‘re hungry! These words are easily mixed up but as long as you pronounce the ‘h’ in hungry, you should make yourself clear which emotion you are referring to.
Work and walk “wer-k” qnd “worl-k”
Again, two sinple words that are often confused because of a very similar pronunciation. Funnily enough, ‘walk’ is almost pronounced as ‘work’ looks like it should be! We never said the English language was easy.
We never said the French language was easy either…
French flabbergasters
Roi (king) “rwa”
It looks like the English name Roy, but sadly the pronunciation is more complicated than that! Ensure you get the French ‘r’ sound correct at the beginning of the word.
Beaucoup (many) “bow-coo”
One of the most commonly said words in French, but the ‘coup’ sound at the end is tricky. You need to master this to avoid telling people that they have a ‘beautiful bum’ instead!
Malheureusement (unfortunately)“mal-er-roous-mon”
Unfortunately (ha ha) this word is as hard to say as it looks, but practice makes perfect and once you’ve perfected it, you will enjoy the sound of it rolling off your tongue.
Bouilloire (kettle) “buj-wa”
A very important word to learn how to say in French, if you’re a typical English tea lover. Unfortunately it’s arguably the trickiest of the lot!
Écureuil (squirrel) “eck-oo-roy”
The hardest animal name to pronounce in any language?!
Accueillir (to welcome) “ack-coy-ear”
Another word with lots ‘L’s’ and ‘I’s’ that sounds nothing like you would expect.
Oeuf (egg) “euf”
An everyday word that sounds trés français when you get it right!
Oeil (eye) “oi-ya”
The pronunciation of this word sounds like a long drawn out version of the English translation, but you wouldn’t realize that by looking at the word’s spelling.
Fauteuil (armchair) “Foo-toya”
Yet again the ‘eil’ complicates matters… once you’ve mastered one of these words, you’ve hopefully have mastered them all, then you can relax in your ‘fauteil’!
Cueillir (to gather, to pluck) “cooy-ear”
One final ‘llir’ word for you to wrap you tongue around. The double ‘l’ sound is like a ‘y’ in English, which ‘ear’ encapsulates, but you can also think of it as a drawn out ‘y’.
It seems that both languages have a plethora of difficult words to pronounce. Remember, practice makes perfect!
- September 12th, 2023
- Grammar for Dummies
Les Salutations: Greetings in French
This month, we will not focus on a specific grammar point but on vocabulary! We are going to look at greetings in French. Here are the different ways to say “Hi” according to the time of the day and the person you are speaking to. salut hi…
Continue Reading
- December 12th, 2021
- Grammar for Dummies
Christmas in France – What to expect
Just like everywhere else in the world, Father Christmas (known as Père Noël or Papa Noël in France) brings gifts to children who have been well-behaved on Christmas Day. The sapin de Noël (Christmas tree) is the main decoration in homes, streets, shops, and offices. On le Réveillon (Christmas Eve),…
Continue Reading
- December 8th, 2021
- Grammar for Dummies
Vous or Tu : Which one do I use?!
The subject pronouns Tu and Vous can be quite confusing for English speakers when they are first learning French, considering we only have one subject pronoun to mean you in English. However, once you get your head around how to use it, you will see it’s not as difficult as…
Continue Reading
- October 1st, 2018
- Grammar for Dummies
Pronunciation
PRONUNCIATION There is nothing worse than knowing the right word but once you pronounce it, people don’t understand you !! So let’s have a look at a few pronunciation rules. Once you know how to pronounce the word, your brain identifies it very rapidly when it hears it, so by…
Continue Reading
All courses available either in person or via Skype or Telephone. Please contact us for more information
Vous recherchez des Cours d'Anglais? Cliquez-ici.