French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "la tête" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce la tête in French?

la tête is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /la tɛt/. It means “head.” lah TET — an open "eh" between two unaspirated "t"s, with the second one pronounced.

lah TET — an open "eh" between two unaspirated "t"s, with the second one pronounced.

la tête /la tɛt/

The phrase peaks on TÊTE, one syllable bracketed by two identical consonants. Both "t"s are unaspirated, which is what makes the word sound crisp rather than breathy.

Listen: la tête

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Sound it out

la The feminine article.

tê An unaspirated "t" — no puff of air — plus an open "eh". The circumflex marks a lost "s": the older spelling was "teste", which is where English "testy" and the medical "attest" connect through Latin.

te A second "t", kept audible by the silent final "e".

Hear it in a sentence

J'ai mal à la tête.

I have a headache.

Listen: J'ai mal à la tête.

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"J'ai mal à la tête" is the fixed construction for pain: "avoir mal à" plus the body part, with the definite article. French does not say "ma tête fait mal". The same pattern gives "j'ai mal au dos", "j'ai mal aux dents". "Mal" here is a noun meaning pain, and "à la" is required.

Where English speakers slip

The circumflex makes learners lengthen the vowel dramatically; it is a short, flat open "eh". The "t"s also get aspirated, giving a breathy "tay-tuh". And the headache construction is the real trap: "j'ai un mal de tête" exists but sounds clinical, while "ma tête fait mal" is simply not French. Learn "j'ai mal à la tête" as a unit.