French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "sous" in French?

soo — the back "oo" of "soup", with the "s" at the end silent.

sous /su/

One unstressed syllable leading into its noun. Worth learning as a pair with "sur": same consonants, opposite vowels, opposite meanings.

Listen: sous

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Sound it out

s A voiceless "s" at the front.

ou The back "oo" of "soup", lips pushed forward, tongue pulled back. This is the exact opposite of the vowel in "sur".

s Silent, though it can surface as a "z" in careful liaison before a vowel.

Hear it in a sentence

Le chat dort sous la chaise.

The cat is sleeping under the chair.

Listen: Le chat dort sous la chaise.

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"Le chat dort sous la chaise" ends with "la chaise", where the single "s" between vowels is pronounced "z": SHEZ. "Chat" ends in a silent "t", and "dort" in a silent "t" as well, so two of the five words drop their final consonant. The two "ch" sounds bookend the sentence, both pronounced "sh".

Where English speakers slip

The word gets confused with "sur" constantly, and the confusion is entirely in the vowel: /u/ is back and "oo"-like, /y/ is front and lip-rounded. Get them backwards and you have put the cat on the chair instead of under it. Learners also pronounce the final "s", giving "soose". Keep it silent and let the vowel do all the work.