Minimal pair · French (France)
French /ʃ/ vs /s//ʃ/ / /s/
Learn to hear the difference between ʃ and s in French words.
Practice these sounds/ʃ/
A broader, unvoiced hiss
A continuous consonant. Compare the quality of its friction with the other sound.
As inchou
/s/
An unvoiced hiss
Listen for the narrow, hissing sound in the target consonant.
As insou
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Chou/sou, chaud/saut and choix/soie contrast /ʃ/ with /s/. The final pair shares a following /w/ glide, so its target is still the first consonant.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
Both categories are voiceless. Listen to the quality of the friction rather than expecting a buzz on one side. The spelling ch represents one consonant here.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordchou
/ʃu/cabbagechaud
/ʃo/hotchoix
/ʃwa/choicechamp
/ʃɑ̃/fieldchai
/ʃɛ/wine storehousechat
/ʃa/cat; masculine formchant
/ʃɑ̃/singing; songsou
/su/an old coin; a small amount of moneysaut
/so/jump; leapsoie
/swa/silksaute
/sot/a sudden changesotte
/sɔt/foolish, feminineserre
/sɛʁ/greenhousesœur
/sœʁ/sistersort
/sɔʁ/fate; destiny15 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.