French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "noir" in French?

nwahr — one syllable. The "oi" is a "wa" glide, and the "r" happens in your throat.

noir /nwaʁ/

One compact syllable. As a colour adjective it follows the noun, so it usually takes the phrase's final beat: une robe NOIRE.

Listen: noir

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

n A normal "n", tongue on the ridge behind the upper teeth.

oi Always "wa" in French, never "oy". It is a single fast movement from a "w" glide into an open "ah".

r Final uvular "r", clearly pronounced. Rasp the air past the back of the tongue while the tip stays down behind your lower teeth.

Hear it in a sentence

Il a les cheveux noirs.

He has black hair.

Listen: Il a les cheveux noirs.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"Il a les cheveux noirs" shows French using the definite article where English uses a possessive — literally "he has the hairs black". The plural "-x" on "cheveux" and the "-s" on "noirs" are both silent, so the sentence sounds identical to its singular equivalent. "Cheveux" ends in that rounded /ø/ vowel: shuh-VUH.

Where English speakers slip

Because English borrowed "film noir", most people have heard the word — but usually pronounced with an American "r" that turns it into "nwahrr" with the tongue curled back. That retroflex "r" is the giveaway. Some learners also read "oi" as English "oy", producing "noyr". Lock in "wa" for every "oi" you meet: noir, trois, voir, moi, boire.