French pronunciation
How to pronounce the French R
The usual French R, the one taught here, is a soft sound made at the very back of your throat, lighter than a gargle. The tip of your tongue does nothing: it rests behind your bottom front teeth while the back of your tongue rises towards the back of your mouth. Keep it clearly different from L, where the tip of the tongue does the work: rue and lu are two words.
How to say the French R
Rest the tip of your tongue behind your bottom front teeth and leave it there.
Raise the back of your tongue towards the soft back part of the roof of your mouth, as if about to say G.
Make a soft sound at the very back of your throat, letting air rub gently through the narrow gap. Keep it lighter than a gargle.
Go straight into a vowel: rat, riz, roue. Keep the R short and soft.
Why it’s hard
English speakers tend to use their own R, made with the tongue tip raised. Spanish and Italian speakers tend to roll it with the tip. Both are clear R sounds to the speaker, but they are not the back-of-the-mouth R most French speakers use, and a learner’s R that lands too close to L can change the word.
The other problem is force. Learners who know the French R comes from the throat often scrape it hard, like clearing their throat. The real sound is quieter and shorter than that.
Words to practise
PronounceFit trains the French R against L, the sound it most needs to stay apart from. Each pair differs only in its first sound.
R vs L
- rue / lu
- roue / loue
- rat / la
- rond / long
- riz / lit
- rime / lime
Common mistakes, and how to catch them
Using the tip of your tongue
For the back-of-the-mouth R taught here, the tip of your tongue stays relaxed behind your bottom teeth. An R made with the tip exists in some French speech too, but it is not the one the app trains. To check yours, put the tip behind your bottom teeth and keep it there during the R of rime.
Scraping too hard
A hard, scraped R takes effort and draws attention. To catch it, say roue softly, as if someone nearby were asleep; the R should still be there.
Sliding into L
If your R drifts into an L, rond is heard as long. To catch it, say rond and long back to back: your tongue tip should only move for long.
How PronounceFit trains the French R
Ear training sets the French R against L — rue and lu, roue and loue — so you hear what your own R is doing before you try to change it.
Then say both words and see every attempt scored. In French texts, a word where the R slipped is marked; open it to hear the reference voice next to your own take, read the tip, and retry until it turns green.
Read more about each step:
FAQ
Questions about the French R
Where is the French R made?
The usual French R, taught here, is made at the very back of the mouth, where the back of your tongue meets the soft part of the roof of your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays down.
Is the French R a gargle?
Close, but softer. Think of a light, breathy gargle that is short enough to run straight into the vowel, as in riz or rat.
Can I use my own R in French?
You can be understood, but an R made with the tip of the tongue is not the R most French speakers use, and when it gets close to an L it can change the word: rime / lime.
More French sound guides
French pronunciationRue, not lu.
Read one French sentence aloud and see exactly which sounds slipped — privately, on your device.