MinimalPairs
Lessons

Minimal pair · French (France)

French /y/ vs /ø//y/ / /ø/

Learn to hear the difference between y and ø in French words.

Practice these sounds
/y/

A front, rounded vowel

The tongue is high and farther forward, with rounded lips. It is one vowel, not a separate y sound plus a vowel.

As injus
/ø/

A close-mid, rounded vowel

A front vowel with rounded lips. This vowel is not schwa.

As injeu

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

A small change.
A different word.

Jus/jeu, du/deux and cru/creux compare close /y/ with close-mid /ø/. All targets are the final vowel, and both categories are front and rounded.

Listen for the target sound in each word.

A common trap

The spelling eu has more than one French pronunciation. These examples use /ø/, not the open-mid /œ/ in peur and not schwa.

Sound examples

Cached recordings are being prepared
No recording
jus
/ʒy/juice
No recording
du
/dy/some, masculine partitive article
No recording
cru
/kʁy/raw
No recording
tu
/ty/you, informal singular
No recording
vu
/vy/seen
No recording
rue
/ʁy/street
No recording
bu
/by/drunk, past participle of drink
No recording
jeu
/ʒø/game
No recording
deux
/dø/two
No recording
creux
/kʁø/hollow
No recording
queue
/kø/tail; queue
No recording
nœud
/nø/knot
No recording
feu
/fø/fire

13 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.

This guide is free to read. Recordings for these examples are not available yet.

Now, let your ears decide.

Can you hear the difference? Listen to two examples, then decide which sound you hear in a new word. Get feedback after every answer.

Practice these sounds

Not sure which sounds to practice? Take the free French listening diagnostic

Keep the sound. Change the word.

Listen to the complete vowel after different word beginnings. The consonant cluster in cru/creux is shared by both members and is not the answer cue.

Explore all French contrasts
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