LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "difficile" in French?
dee-fee-SEEL — three "ee" vowels in a row, and a soft "c" in the last syllable.
dif-fi-CILE, weight on the third syllable. Three identical vowels give the word a chiming, even rhythm — the only thing that distinguishes the syllables is the beat at the end.
Listen: difficile
Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.
Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Le français n'est pas difficile.
French isn't difficult.
Listen: Le français n'est pas difficile.
Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.
"Le français n'est pas difficile" elides the negation before the vowel: "ne" becomes "n'" before "est". Note the definite article before the language, which French requires and English drops. "Français" carries a cedilla forcing the "ç" to be soft before "a", plus a single "s" between vowels pronounced "z": frahn-SEZ — but the final "s" is silent, so it ends on an open "eh".
Where English speakers slip
The English word "difficult" is close enough in shape to import its stress pattern, giving "DIF-fi-cult" with the weight at the front and a reduced middle. French keeps all three vowels equally full and puts the lift at the end. Learners also laxen the vowels toward English "ih" — all three should be tense, clear "ee" sounds. Say it as three even beats climbing to a clear final "SEEL".