French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "blanc" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce blanc in French?

blanc is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /blɑ̃/. It means “white (f. blanche).” blahn through the nose — and neither the "n" nor the "c" is pronounced as a consonant.

blahn through the nose — and neither the "n" nor the "c" is pronounced as a consonant.

blanc /blɑ̃/

One nasal syllable, ending in nothing but air. That open ending is a big part of what makes it sound French: the word simply fades rather than closing on a consonant.

Listen: blanc

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Sound it out

bl A simple cluster, as in English "blank", with a lighter "l".

an The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/. Open toward "ah" and send the air out through your nose, keeping the tongue low and still. Nothing in your mouth closes.

c Silent. It is there to mark the word's family — "blanche", "blanchir" — where the consonant does surface.

Hear it in a sentence

La chemise est blanche.

The shirt is white.

Listen: La chemise est blanche.

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"La chemise est blanche" uses the feminine form, and that is where the buried consonant appears: "blanche" is /blɑ̃ʃ/, with an audible "sh" sound the masculine hides. So the two forms differ in more than a silent letter. "Chemise" has the French "ch" = "sh" and an "s" between vowels pronounced "z": shuh-MEEZ.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers know "blanc" from "blank" and "blanc mange", and they close it with a "nk" sound. Both letters are silent — the word ends on an open nasal vowel with the mouth still open. The related trap is applying the same silence to "blanche", where the feminine "-che" gives you a real "sh". Learn the pair together and the difference stops feeling arbitrary.