French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "le voyage" in French?

luh vwa-YAZH — the "y" does double duty, closing one syllable and opening the next.

le voyage /lə vwa.jaʒ/

le vo-YAGE, weight on the second syllable. The word is two beats despite six letters in the noun, because the "oy" collapses into a glide.

Listen: le voyage

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Sound it out

vo A "v" plus the "o" which combines with the following "y" to give a "wa" glide — so this is /vwa/, one movement.

y The "y" acts twice: it completes the "oi"-style glide before it and starts the next syllable as a "y" sound. That double duty is why the word has a bounce to it.

age An open "ah" plus the soft "g" — the buzz of "measure" — kept audible by the silent final "e".

Hear it in a sentence

Bon voyage !

Have a good trip!

Listen: Bon voyage !

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"Bon voyage !" is one of the French phrases English has borrowed wholesale, and the borrowed version usually has an English "j" at the end. In French it is the soft "zh". "Bon" is a nasal vowel with no "n" consonant, so the phrase opens on a hum and ends on a buzz.

Where English speakers slip

The English borrowing supplies a hard "j" and often an extra syllable, giving "voy-AHJ". French wants "vwa" as a single glide and the soft buzz of "measure" at the end. Learners also stress the first syllable. Say "vwa" then "YAZH", two beats, with the weight at the back.