Buzz
Pronouncing names from other languages—such as Spanish, Irish, or Arabic—often trips up English speakers because we tend to impose English pronunciation rules where they don’t apply. Take the French name Eugène, for instance. You might assume it’s pronounced “yoo-JEEN,” but as you’ll discover, that’s far from correct.
Mastering names in another language sometimes means tackling sounds that don’t exist in English, like the Welsh “ll.” French has its own unique sound: the uvular fricative “r,” which YouTuber MyFrenchStory can help you perfect:
Now that you’ve got a handle on France’s most distinctive sound, test your skills with the French names listed below (and don’t stress—most of them don’t even include an r).
1. Agathe
The he is silent. Pronounce it as “AYE-gat,” with both a’s sounding like the a in cat.
2. Alain
Alain isn’t pronounced like Elaine. It’s said as “A-lah.”
3. Amélie
The 2001 film starring Audrey Tautou is pronounced “AH-mey-LEE.”
4. Arnaud
The d is silent. Say it as “AR-noh.”
5. Brigitte
Brigitte Bardot’s first name doesn’t sound like Bridget. It’s pronounced “BREE-zheet.”
6. Camille
In English, it’s pronounced “kuh-MEEL,” but in French, it’s “KA-mee.”
7. Claude
The French Claude doesn’t sound like awed. It’s closer to “KLOHD.”
8. Clémence
Clémence Poésy, who portrayed Fleur Delacour in the Harry Potter films, has a first name pronounced as “KLEY-mawss.”
9. Edouard
Ignore the final d in Edouard. If the French “r” is tricky, simply say “EYD-wah.”
10. Eugène
Eugène is pronounced “oo-ZHEN,” with the “oo” sounding like the one in good.
11. Geneviève
In French, it’s not “JEN-eh-veev.” The correct pronunciation is “zhuhn-VYEV.”
12. Guillaume
Guillaume is pronounced “GEE-yohm,” with a hard “g” as in get.
13. Hélène
It’s not pronounced “hell-EEN.” The correct way is “ey-LEN.”
14. Henri
In French, the “n” is silent, and the “r” is pronounced deeply, making Henri sound like “aw-REE.”
15. Irène
Parisian scientist Irène Joliot-Curie, a Nobel laureate and daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, didn’t say her name as “eye-REEN.” It’s pronounced “EE-ren.”
16. Jacqueline
Fans of The Devil Wears Prada (2006) might already recognize the French pronunciation of Jacqueline: “zhak-LEEN.” (Even Miranda Priestly, who despises French Runway’s Jacqueline Follet, wouldn’t dare mispronounce her name.)
17. Julien
In French, Julien is pronounced “ZHOO-lee-ah,” with the first syllable rhyming with too.
18. Noémie
The name of Portrait of a Lady on Fire actress Noémie Merlant is pronounced “NOH-ey-MEE.”
19. Olympe
It’s pronounced “OH-lahmp,” not “oh-LIMP.”
20. Thibault
Thibault has several silent letters, making it simply “TEE-boh.”
21. Yves
Yves Saint Laurent is among the most frequently mispronounced brand names in the industry. The first part is simpler than it appears: It’s pronounced “EEV,” similar to Eve.
