This, among other things, is one of the reasons why (in addition to a few etymological reasons) some words can be written in several different ways. Double consonants, therefore, make it possible to differentiate homophones, such as date and datte, without making any changes to the pronunciation. And for good reason: the spelling serves to distinguish the written form of these words which are otherwise aurally completely identical. The answer can be found in homophones - two or more (different) words which are pronounced exactly the same way but have neither the same meaning nor the same spelling. While in Italian a doubled consonant is usually used to indicate or place word stress (for example, in allievo, “pupil”), it does not provide any indication of pronunciation in French. The dual influence of Latin and Frankish (a Germanic language), partly explains French’s complexity. Two voiceless letters at the end of the word doigt, five letters for just one syllable with temps - it’s enough to make you pull your hair out! Despite the successful attempts at simplification over the centuries, we are still a very long way from Voltaire’s idea that “writing is the painting of the voice the closer the resemblance, the better it is.” Same sound, but different words? The trick behind French spelling Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case in French… that is, unless you get some help!Īlthough not as opaque as its English counterpart, French spelling is still unpredictable - even for the most gifted of language learners.

In other words, when the spelling of a language is transparent, you only need to see the written word to easily guess how it is pronounced.

And by transparency we mean when the spelling of a language follows a phonetic spelling pattern, as is the case in the other Romance languages mentioned above. Unlike other Romance languages like Italian, Spanish or Romanian, French spelling is not exactly transparent. But why is it so difficult? To get straight to the point, one of the main culprits is, undeniably, the spelling - with its voiceless vowels and consonants, its nasal sounds and letters with a symbol that looks like a hat. French pronunciation can be a nightmare for learners of the French language.

Pronounce a accent grave