Minimal pair · French (France)
French /d/ vs /t//d/ / /t/
Learn to hear the difference between d and t in French words.
Practice these sounds/d/
A voiced tongue closure
Compare this opening consonant with /t/ while keeping the rest of the word out of the decision.
As indoux
/t/
An unvoiced tongue closure
A brief stop near the front of the mouth. The target here is the first consonant.
As intout
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Doux/tout, dos/taux and dent/temps change the opening consonant between /d/ and /t/. The examples cover three vowel categories.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
English-style aspiration is not a universal guide to French stops. These are isolated citation words; liaison and connected-speech patterns need their own examples.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each worddoux
/du/soft; gentledos
/do/back of the bodydent
/dɑ̃/toothdé
/de/a die; one of a pair of dicedu
/dy/some, masculine partitive articledeux
/dø/twodaim
/dɛ̃/fallow deertout
/tu/all; everythingtaux
/to/ratetemps
/tɑ̃/time; weathertu
/ty/you, informal singulartant
/tɑ̃/so muchton
/tɔ̃/your; tonethé
/te/teataie
/tɛ/pillowcase15 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.