French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "le poisson" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce le poisson in French?

le poisson is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lə pwa.sɔ̃/. It means “fish.” luh pwa-SOHN — the "oi" is a "wa" glide, the doubled "ss" hisses, and the ending is nasal.

luh pwa-SOHN — the "oi" is a "wa" glide, the doubled "ss" hisses, and the ending is nasal.

le poisson /lə pwa.sɔ̃/

le pois-SON, weight on the second syllable. The doubled "ss" is doing real semantic work: "poisson" is a fish, "poison" is poison, and only that consonant separates them.

Listen: le poisson

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Sound it out

poi An unaspirated "p" plus the "wa" glide, one movement.

ss A voiceless "s". The doubling blocks the voicing that a single "s" between vowels would trigger — and that matters here, because "poison" with one "s" is a different word entirely.

on The nasal vowel /ɔ̃/ — rounded lips, air through the nose, tongue never rising.

Hear it in a sentence

Le poisson nage vite.

The fish swims fast.

Listen: Le poisson nage vite.

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"Le poisson nage vite" is a clean sentence with no liaisons. "Nage" ends in the soft "g" of "measure", kept audible by its silent "e": NAHZH. "Vite" ends in a pronounced "t", also thanks to a silent "e". Note that French uses "vite" as an adverb here — "rapide" would be the adjective.

Where English speakers slip

Voicing the "s" turns fish into poison, which is the memorable version of the general rule that doubled "ss" stays a hiss. Learners also split "oi" into two vowels and give the ending a real "n". Say "pwa" as one glide, hiss the "ss", and let the nasal fade with nothing touching.