French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "même" in French?

mem — one syllable, an open "eh" between two "m"s. Rhymes with English "them".

même /mɛm/

One syllable. The word does many jobs — same, even, self — and the pronunciation never changes: "le même jour", "même moi", "moi-même" all use the identical sound.

Listen: même

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Sound it out

m A normal "m".

ê An open "eh" /ɛ/. The circumflex here does not lengthen the vowel in modern speech; it marks a lost "s" from the older "mesme".

me A second "m", kept audible by the silent final "e". The vowel is not nasal, because the "m" is followed by that "e".

Hear it in a sentence

On a le même âge.

We're the same age.

Listen: On a le même âge.

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"On a le même âge" carries an obligatory liaison: "on a" is /ɔ̃.n‿a/, with the nasal of "on" producing a real "n" before the vowel. "Âge" has a circumflex and a soft "g", ending in the buzz of "measure": ahzh. French says "we have the same age" where English says "we are the same age".

Where English speakers slip

The two "m"s tempt learners to nasalize the vowel, producing something like "mehm" through the nose. It is a plain oral vowel — the silent "e" after the second "m" is what keeps everything non-nasal. The circumflex also makes people stretch the vowel dramatically; keep it short and open. Think of the English word "them" without the "th".