Minimal pair · French (France)
French /ɛ̃/ vs /ɔ̃//ɛ̃/ / /ɔ̃/
Learn to hear the difference between ɛ̃ and ɔ̃ in French words.
Practice these sounds/ɛ̃/
A nasal-vowel quality
The whole vowel is nasal. Compare its quality across the different word beginnings.
As inbain
/ɔ̃/
A rounded nasal vowel
Listen to the vowel quality and nasal resonance together, without adding a final n.
As inbon
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Bain/bon, pin/pont and teint/ton compare two nasal vowel categories. The first consonant stays the same within a pair and changes across examples.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
A final written n does not mean you should hear a separate consonant here. The vowel itself is nasal; its exact quality also varies by region and speaker.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordbain
/bɛ̃/bathpin
/pɛ̃/pine treeteint
/tɛ̃/complexioncoussin
/kusɛ̃/cushioncousin
/kuzɛ̃/male cousinpain
/pɛ̃/breadvin
/vɛ̃/winefin
/fɛ̃/endbon
/bɔ̃/goodpont
/pɔ̃/bridgeton
/tɔ̃/your; tonepoisson
/pwasɔ̃/fishpoison
/pwazɔ̃/poison13 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.