French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "la réponse" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce la réponse in French?

la réponse is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /la ʁe.pɔ̃s/. It means “answer.” la ray-POHNS — a throat "r" at the front, a nasal vowel, and a final "s" that is pronounced.

la ray-POHNS — a throat "r" at the front, a nasal vowel, and a final "s" that is pronounced.

la réponse /la ʁe.pɔ̃s/

la ré-PONSE, weight on the second syllable. The word ends on a crisp "s" despite the nasal vowel before it — so the vowel is nasal and the consonant is real, with nothing in between.

Listen: la réponse

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Sound it out

ré A uvular "r" plus a closed "ay" from the accent aigu. The "r" is in the exposed word-initial position here.

pon An unaspirated "p" plus the nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ — rounded lips, air through the nose.

se A hissing "s", kept audible by the silent final "e". Note it is an "s" and not a "z", because it follows a consonant rather than sitting between two vowels.

Hear it in a sentence

Je n'ai pas de réponse.

I don't have an answer.

Listen: Je n'ai pas de réponse.

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"Je n'ai pas de réponse" uses "de" rather than "une" after a negation, which is a firm rule: "je n'ai pas de" replaces any indefinite article in the negative. The "ne" elides before "ai". "Pas de réponse" runs together as three light beats before the final peak.

Where English speakers slip

The nasal gets a real "n" before the "s", producing "ray-PONSS" as an English reader would say it. The "n" is silent as a consonant; only the "s" is real. Learners also voice the "s" into a "z" by analogy with other words. And the negative article rule catches everyone: "je n'ai pas une réponse" is wrong; it must be "pas de".