Minimal pair · French (France)
French /n/ vs /ɲ//n/ / /ɲ/
Learn to hear the difference between n and ɲ in French words.
Practice these soundsThe final n category
Listen to the nasal consonant at the end, rather than a change in the preceding vowel.
The French gn category
Conventionally written /ɲ/. Its realization varies by speaker; the word ending is the listening target.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Peine/peigne, panne/pagne and reine/règne place the target nasal consonant at the end. All reference and X words use that same target position.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
The category conventionally written /ɲ/ varies by speaker and region. This broad notation does not imply a single universal articulation; the selected recordings also need to preserve the distinction.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each word10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.