French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "des" in French?

day — one syllable, with the "s" silent. The vowel is a closed "ay" that stops short.

des /de/

One unstressed syllable leading into the noun. The article is quick and light; the beat belongs to whatever it introduces.

Listen: des

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Sound it out

d A dental "d", tongue against the back of the upper teeth.

es Pronounced /e/, a closed "ay" with no glide. The "s" is silent in isolation but surfaces as a "z" whenever the next word starts with a vowel.

Hear it in a sentence

J'achète des fruits.

I'm buying some fruit.

Listen: J'achète des fruits.

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"J'achète des fruits" has "des" before a consonant, so no liaison and no "z": /de fʁɥi/. Compare "des amis", where the "s" wakes up: /de.z‿a.mi/. Notice "fruits" has an /ɥ/ glide like "huit" — the "ui" combination — and its final "ts" is silent, so the word is one syllable.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers say "dez" or "dess" outright, since a written "s" almost always sounds in English. Silent by default here. They then often miss the liaison in the opposite case, saying "day amis" instead of "day-Zamis" — the link is obligatory with plural articles. Also keep the vowel closed and short: "day" without the English tail-glide toward "ee".