French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "mettre" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce mettre in French?

mettre is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /mɛtʁ/. It means “to put.” MEH-truh, with an open "eh" and a trailing cluster that barely qualifies as a second syllable.

MEH-truh, with an open "eh" and a trailing cluster that barely qualifies as a second syllable.

mettre /mɛtʁ/

Effectively one syllable plus a fade: MET-tr. Because the "-re" has no real vowel, the weight sits on the front, which is unusual for French and a direct consequence of the word's shape.

Listen: mettre

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Sound it out

me An "m" plus an open "eh" as in "bed". The doubled "tt" after it is what keeps the vowel open rather than reducing it to a schwa.

tt A single "t" sound, unaspirated, tongue against the upper teeth.

re A uvular "r" with a silent "e". Same trailing shape as "être" and "connaître".

Hear it in a sentence

Je mets mon manteau.

I'm putting on my coat.

Listen: Je mets mon manteau.

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"Je mets mon manteau" uses "mets" /mɛ/, a single syllable where both the "t" and the "s" are silent — so the conjugated form is just an open vowel after the "m". French uses "mettre" for putting clothes on, where English needs the two-word "put on". "Manteau" has the nasal /ɑ̃/ then the pure "oh" of "eau": mahn-TOH.

Where English speakers slip

Learners add a full second syllable, saying "MET-ruh" with a clear "uh" at the end, which makes the word a beat too long. They also frequently pronounce the ending with an English "r", giving "MET-rr". The target is a compact "met" followed by a throat scrape that fades out — about as long as the English word "metre" said quickly, but with the vowel open and the "r" in the throat.