French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "oui" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce oui in French?

oui is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /wi/. It means “yes.” wee — a single syllable, exactly like the English word "we". No "oo" at the front.

wee — a single syllable, exactly like the English word "we". No "oo" at the front.

oui /wi/

One syllable, so there is nothing to place stress on. What varies is pitch and length: a flat, clipped "oui" is neutral, a long drawn-out one signals enthusiasm or reluctance depending on the melody.

Listen: oui

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Sound it out

ou Here the pair does not make the usual "oo" vowel — because a vowel follows, it becomes a fast "w" glide, over in an instant.

i A tight, pure "ee" as in "machine". Hold your tongue still; English "ee" tends to drift, and French wants it steady from beginning to end.

Hear it in a sentence

Oui, avec plaisir.

Yes, gladly.

Listen: Oui, avec plaisir.

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"Oui, avec plaisir" gives you a small comma pause and then a three-syllable phrase where the pitch rises to the very last syllable, -SIR. Listen for "avec plaisir" running together as one unit, /a.vɛk.plɛ.ziʁ/, with the final "c" of "avec" clearly pronounced — one of the handful of final consonants French does say.

Where English speakers slip

Learners who have just been taught that "ou" is pronounced "oo" often produce two syllables, "oo-EE", which sounds like someone spelling out the letters. When "ou" is followed by another vowel it collapses into a "w". The other slip is the stereotyped "way" you hear in English comedy French — the vowel is "ee", never the "ay" of "day".