French text-to-speech online — listen to real pronunciation

French — free text-to-speech & real native pronunciation

A free online French text-to-speech tool and AI voice generator that reads any text aloud. Use this French text reader to hear text spoken in natural-sounding native voices, view phonetic transcription (IPA), and improve your pronunciation with karaoke-style word highlighting.

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French Sounds Missing in English

u [y]

English speakers usually substitute 'oo' as in 'food'; instead round your lips tightly as if saying 'ee' while keeping the tongue forward.

eu [ø]

English speakers replace it with the 'u' in 'fur'; form it by saying 'ay' with strongly rounded lips and a high tongue position.

r [ʁ]

English speakers often use an American 'r' or a rolled 'r'; produce it with a gentle uvular scrape in the back of the throat.

on [ɔ̃]

English speakers tend to say 'on' as in 'onion' with a clear 'n'; instead nasalize the vowel and drop the 'n' entirely.

French Words That Trip People Up

ˈu(t) the o and û merge into a single [u] and the final t is optional

ɔɲɔ̃ The 'gn' misleads many into a hard 'g-n' but merges into a soft 'ny' sound.

məsjˈø The spelling suggests 'mon-sewer' but the 'ieu' collapses into a rounded 'ø' sound.

fˈam The double 'm' and 'e' look like they should say 'fem' but the vowel is a clear 'a'.

ɑ̃fˈɑ̃ Both 'en' and 'an' nasalize without sounding the 'n', and the final 't' stays silent.

bokˈu The 'eau' and 'oup' look complex but simplify to 'bo' plus a pure 'u' sound.

pnˈø The initial 'pn' cluster is unexpected; both consonants are fully pronounced together.

ˈaj The 'ail' ending misleads English eyes into 'ail' as in 'ailment' but sounds like 'eye'.

fˈil The 's' at the end looks like it should be voiced but is completely silent.

sˈɛt the final p is silent: sept ends in [t]

yˈit The 'h' and 'uit' suggest 'wit' but it begins with a rounded 'y' vowel.

dˈis The 'x' misleads into an 'ks' sound but it ends simply with 's'.

Hear the Difference

ʁˈu ʁˈy roue has a back 'oo' vowel while rue has a front rounded 'u'; English speakers often merge both to 'oo'.

bˈɔ̃ bˈɑ̃ bon uses a rounded nasal 'on' while banc uses a more open nasal 'an'; English speakers tend to pronounce both like 'bon'.

dˈu dˈut doux ends with a pure vowel while doute adds a final 't'; English speakers may drop the 't' in doute or add one to doux.

ʃˈak ʃˈɛk chaque has an 'a' vowel while chèque has an 'è' sound; English speakers often reduce both to a neutral 'eh'.

pˈɑ̃ pˈɔ̃ paon uses an open nasal 'an' while pont uses a rounded nasal 'on'; English speakers tend to say both like 'pon'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Speecher.org

Which French voices does Speecher offer (France, Quebec, Belgium)?

Speecher includes voices for Metropolitan French (France) and Canadian French (Quebec). The exact selection depends on your browser — Microsoft Edge typically offers the widest range, including online Natural voices.

Can it show IPA (API) transcription for French words?

Yes — enable Karaoke mode and you'll see IPA (Alphabet Phonétique International) under every French word as it's spoken. The default "Word + IPA" display covers the whole text at once, so you can read along without clicking word by word.

Does it handle French liaisons, élisions, and silent letters correctly?

Yes — French voices apply native phonological rules including liaisons (les amis → "lez-amis"), élisions (l'arbre), and silent final consonants. Cloud and Universal voices are the most accurate.

Can I download French audio as MP3 for offline practice?

Yes — for Universal voices, click the MP3 button to download. Browser voices play in real time but cannot be exported (a browser API limitation).

How do I turn text into speech?

Paste or type your text in the box above and press play — Speecher reads it aloud with natural AI voices. It is free, runs in your browser, and you can download the result as an MP3.

Does Speecher.org have an on-screen keyboard for French?

Yes. On the Speak page, click the keyboard button next to the Karaoke toggle and the French keyboard opens below the text box. You can type with your mouse or finger without switching your device's layout. Speecher's on-screen keyboard supports 29 languages — including Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese (pinyin and cangjie), Hangul and kana — and on phones it doesn't cover the screen with the system keyboard.

Can I dictate French text by voice?

Yes. Speecher's Speech-to-Text turns your spoken French into editable text: open the Speech-to-Text section and tap the microphone. In Google Chrome the words are recognized in real time as you speak, and it also works in other modern browsers. Over 40 dictation languages are supported.