French Nasal Vowels: Word Lists with Pronunciation
Getting Started — The Hardest Category, The Highest Payoff
Nasal vowels are the hardest sounds for learners, but fixing them gives you the biggest boost in listening comprehension.
🧠 Memory hook: Nasal vowel means air goes through your nose, and you never complete the ‘n’. ‘on’ is not ‘ohn’ — your tongue never touches the roof of your mouth. Think of a hummed ‘ohn’.
Background: French Pronunciation — Complete Sound Guide, Section 3.
1. on / en / an → /ɔ̃/ and /ɑ̃/
on = /ɔ̃/ (rounded, hummed ‘ohn’). en and an = /ɑ̃/ (open ‘ahn’).
| French | English | Type | Example | Example (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bon | good | [adj] | C’est un bon café. | It’s a good coffee. |
| non | no | [adv] | Non, merci. | No, thank you. |
| maison | house | [n] | J’habite dans une maison. | I live in a house. |
| nom | name | [n] | Quel est ton nom? | What is your name? |
| monde | world / people | [n] | Tout le monde est là. | Everyone is here. |
| enfant | child | [n] | L’enfant joue dehors. | The child plays outside. |
| temps | time / weather | [n] | Je n’ai pas le temps. | I don’t have time. |
| argent | money | [n] | J’ai besoin d’argent. | I need money. |
| grand | big / tall | [adj] | Il est très grand. | He is very tall. |
| dans | in / inside | [prep] | Le livre est dans le sac. | The book is in the bag. |
| quand | when | [adv] | Quand arrives-tu? | When do you arrive? |
| souvent | often | [adv] | Je travaille souvent. | I work often. |
| comment | how | [adv] | Comment ça va? | How are you? |
| prendre | to take | [v] | Je vais prendre un café. | I’ll have a coffee. |
2. un → /œ̃/ (now usually /ɛ̃/)
Nasal, lips slightly rounded — sounds like ‘uh-n’. Most speakers now merge it with in /ɛ̃/.
| French | English | Type | Example | Example (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| un | one / a | [num] | Un café, s’il vous plaît. | One coffee, please. |
| lundi | Monday | [n] | Je travaille lundi. | I work on Monday. |
| chacun | each one | [pron] | Chacun son tour. | Each one takes a turn. |
| aucun | none / not any | [adj] | Aucun problème. | No problem. |
| brun | brown | [adj] | Il a les cheveux bruns. | He has brown hair. |
| parfum | perfume / flavor | [n] | Quel parfum aimes-tu? | Which flavor do you like? |
| quelqu’un | someone | [pron] | Quelqu’un est là? | Is someone there? |
| commun | common | [adj] | Un point commun. | A common point. |
| un peu | a little | [adv] | Je parle un peu français. | I speak a little French. |
| un jour | one day | [n] | Un jour, j’irai en France. | One day I’ll go to France. |
| emprunter | to borrow | [v] | Je vais emprunter un livre. | I’ll borrow a book. |
3. in / aim / ein / eim → /ɛ̃/
Nasal ‘eh’ sound. This is the most common nasal vowel.
| French | English | Type | Example | Example (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vin | wine | [n] | Un verre de vin. | A glass of wine. |
| pain | bread | [n] | Je vais acheter du pain. | I’ll buy bread. |
| main | hand | [n] | Tu me tiens la main. | You hold my hand. |
| demain | tomorrow | [adv] | À demain. | See you tomorrow. |
| faim | hunger | [n] | J’ai faim. | I’m hungry. |
| train | train | [n] | Je prends le train. | I take the train. |
| gain | gain / profit | [n] | Un bon gain. | A good profit. |
| vain | vain | [adj] | C’est vain. | It’s vain. |
| certain | certain | [adj] | C’est certain. | That’s certain. |
| loin | far | [adv] | C’est loin. | It’s far. |
| coin | corner | [n] | Au coin de la rue. | At the corner of the street. |
| soin | care | [n] | Avec soin. | With care. |
| peine | pain / trouble | [n] | Quelle peine. | What trouble. |
| pleurer | to cry | [v] | Je ne vais pas pleurer. | I won’t cry. |
Test yourself: Minimal pairs to practice — bon /ɔ̃/ vs vin /ɛ̃/, dans /ɑ̃/ vs dune /y/ (not nasal).
Key principle: All nasal vowels — they all flow through your nose at the same time as the vowel. No hard stopping ‘n’ or ‘ng’ at the end.
What’s Next
Practise spotting these 5 groups from the written word in Nasal Vowel Sounds, then move on to French Oral Vowel Sounds and the full French Pronunciation — Complete Sound Guide.
FAQ
Why are nasal vowels the hardest for learners?
Because nasal vowels are separate sounds—not 'vowel + n'—in French, and most learners' native languages don't have them. The target is: air comes through your nose while you say the vowel, but your tongue never touches the roof of your mouth. 'on' is not 'ohn', but a hummed 'ohn'.
What is the difference between 'on' and 'an' sounds?
'on' = /ɔ̃/ (rounded, hummed 'ohn'). 'an' and 'en' = /ɑ̃/ (open 'ahn'). Like bon = 'bohn', but grand = 'grahn'.
Why is 'important' spelled with 'im' not 'in'?
Spelling rule: before b/p, 'in' is written 'im' and 'on/an' is written 'om'. The sound stays nasal: important /ɛ̃/, nombre /ɔ̃/.
In modern French, how is 'un' pronounced?
The old /œ̃/ sound of 'un' has largely merged into /ɛ̃/ (the 'in' sound) for most speakers, so 'un' and 'in' now sound nearly the same — one fewer sound to worry about.