French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "ils" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce ils in French?

ils is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /il/. It means “they (m., or a mixed group).” eel — pronounced exactly like the singular "il". The plural "s" is silent, so the two are identical in isolation.

eel — pronounced exactly like the singular "il". The plural "s" is silent, so the two are identical in isolation.

ils /il/

One unstressed syllable. The interesting rhythmic fact is that singular and plural sound the same before a consonant, so French relies on the verb ending, or on liaison, to tell them apart.

Listen: ils

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Sound it out

i A pure, tense "ee". Same as in "il".

l A light forward "l".

s Silent, unless the next word begins with a vowel, in which case it surfaces as a "z" — and that liaison is the only thing that distinguishes "ils" from "il" by ear.

Hear it in a sentence

Ils habitent tout près.

They live very close by.

Listen: Ils habitent tout près.

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"Ils habitent tout près" is the perfect illustration: "ils habitent" is /il.z‿a.bit/, with the plural "s" surfacing as a "z" because "habitent" begins with a mute "h". Say "il habite" instead and you get /i.la.bit/ with no "z" — that single sound is the entire audible difference between "he lives" and "they live". The "-ent" verb ending is silent in both.

Where English speakers slip

Learners either pronounce the "s" as an "s" all the time, or skip the liaison entirely — and the second is more damaging, because that "z" is the only clue a listener has that you mean "they" rather than "he". Before a vowel, always link. Before a consonant, "ils" and "il" are simply homophones and context does the work.