French accents: acute, grave, circumflex and cedilla
The acute accent (é) goes on an "e" pronounced as a closed [e]. The grave accent (è) marks an open "e" [ɛ] or distinguishes homophones (à, où, là). The circumflex (â, ê, î, ô, û) often marks a lost letter (forêt from forest) or distinguishes words (dû/du, sûr/sur).
The French accents at a glance
| Accent | In French | Letters | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| acute | accent aigu | é | été, café |
| grave | accent grave | è, à, ù | mère, à, où |
| circumflex | accent circonflexe | â, ê, î, ô, û | forêt, hôpital |
| cedilla | cédille | ç | garçon, français |
| diaeresis | tréma | ë, ï, ü | Noël, naïf |
The letter e carries most of them: the guide é, è or ê explains how each accent changes its sound. To type them on any keyboard, see how to type French accents.
Examples
Une étoile brillante.
Key word(s): étoile
A closed é at the start of the word, so it takes the acute accent.
Très bien, merci.
Key word(s): très
An open è, so it takes the grave accent.
La forêt est sombre.
Key word(s): forêt
The circumflex (it comes from "forest" in Old French).
Il est sûr de lui.
Key word(s): sûr
The circumflex distinguishes it from "sur" (the preposition).
Où vas-tu ?
Key word(s): où
The grave accent distinguishes it from "ou" (a choice).
Common mistakes
- Confusing é (closed) and è (open) before a double consonant
- Forgetting the circumflex in "forêt", "hôpital", "île"
- Forgetting the accents that distinguish homophones (dû/du, sûr/sur, mûr/mur)
Test yourself
Un ___l___ve studieux.
Il a d___ partir.
Apr___s la f___te.
Tips to remember
- Before a double consonant, no accent: "belle", "cette", "messe".
- At the start of a word it is often an acute accent: "école", "écrire", "été".
- The circumflex often replaces an old "s": forêt (forest), hôpital (hospital), île (isle).
Practice this rule with audio dictation
Apostrophe· drills this rule with dictations matched to your level, corrected instantly, word by word.
