French pronunciation
How to pronounce the French U (vu vs vous)
The French U, as in vu, is an “ee” said with rounded lips. Put your tongue forward as for “ee”, then round your lips as if to say “oo” without moving your tongue. If your tongue slides back you get OU instead, and vu (seen) becomes vous (you).
How to say the French U
Say a long “ee” and notice where your tongue is: high and forward in your mouth.
Keep your tongue exactly there and round your lips as if to say “oo”. That is the French U in vu, su and lu.
For OU, as in vous, pull your tongue back and round your lips firmly.
For EU, as in veux, round your lips as for “oh”, but keep your tongue forward as for “ay”.
Why it’s hard
English and Spanish have no French U, so the ear files it under the nearest sound it knows: OU, because the lips are rounded, or EE, because the tongue is forward. That is why vu drifts towards vous on one side and towards vie on the other. German speakers have a head start: their ü is very close.
The difficulty is that your lips and your tongue have to do two different things at once — rounded lips, forward tongue — and few learners’ first languages ask for that combination. Until it feels natural, the tongue tends to follow the lips back.
Words to practise
PronounceFit trains the French U against both of its neighbours: OU and EU in groups of three, and I in pairs.
U, OU and EU
- su / sous / ceux
- bu / bout / bœufs
- vu / vous / veux
- pu / pou / peu
- nu / nous / nœud
- jus / joue / jeu
U vs I
- vu / vie
- rue / riz
- su / si
- pu / pie
- dû / dis
- lu / lit
- bu / bi
- nu / ni
- tu / ti
Common mistakes, and how to catch them
Pulling the tongue back
The most common slip: nu turns into nous. To catch it, say “ee”, freeze your tongue, then round your lips. If you hear the vowel jump to OU, your tongue moved.
Forgetting to round the lips
With the tongue in the right place but the lips spread, rue comes out as riz. To catch it, check in a mirror that your lips push forward into a small circle for U.
Mixing U and EU
jus and jeu both have rounded lips and a forward tongue; EU is a little more open. To catch it, say pu and peu: your jaw should drop slightly for peu.
How PronounceFit trains the French U
Ear training puts vu, vous and veux side by side: you hear them and pick the one you heard, round after round, until the U stops sounding like OU to you.
Then say the whole group and see each word scored, and work the U against I with vu / vie and su / si. When you read French aloud, a U that slipped is marked on the word; tap it to compare your take with the reference voice and retry until it turns green.
Read more about each step:
FAQ
Questions about the French U
Is the French U the same as the English “oo”?
No. For “oo” the tongue is pulled back; the French U keeps it forward, as for “ee”, with rounded lips. That difference is what separates vu from vous.
What is the difference between U and OU in French?
Where your tongue is. Both have rounded lips, but U keeps the tongue forward and OU pulls it back: su / sous, nu / nous, bu / bout.
How do I know if I’m saying U or OU?
Record pu and pou and listen back; if they sound the same, your tongue is going back for both. PronounceFit marks each word, so a pu that came out as pou shows up even when you couldn’t hear it yourself.
More French sound guides
- Nasal vowelsVent, vont, vin: three nasal vowels, and no N at the end.
- French RThe usual French R: made at the back of your throat, not with the tip of your tongue.
French pronunciationEvery hard French sound, with the real word pairs the app drills.- All languagesEvery pronunciation guide, one language at a time.
Vu, not vous.
Read one French sentence aloud and see exactly which sounds slipped — privately, on your device.