French Nasal Vowels — Spellings and Quiz

French Nasal Vowels

Spelling patterns & practice quiz — learn to recognize the four nasals

AN / EN /ɑ̃/

Like 'song' — but air flows through the nose; the N is silent.

an am en em aon

blanc

white

enfant

child

temps

time / weather

chambre

room

IN / AIN /ɛ̃/

Like 'van' — front of mouth, nasalised; lips slightly parted.

in im ain aim ein yn ym ien

vin

wine

main

hand

bien

well / good

impossible

impossible

ON /ɔ̃/

Short, rounded — like 'own' but lips round and clipped.

on om

bon

good

maison

house

ombre

shadow

garçon

boy / waiter

UN /œ̃/

Round lips as for 'oo', then say the vowel in 'fun' — nasalised.

un um

un

one / a

lundi

Monday

parfum

perfume

brun

brown

Golden rule: A nasal spelling followed by a vowel or a doubled n/m is not nasalised — the consonant is spoken instead.
e.g. bon /bɔ̃/ (good) → nasal  |  bonne /bɔn/ (good, fem.) → not nasal

—

Which nasal vowel sound is highlighted in red?

0 / 0

💡 Tip: look at the red letters and decide which of the four nasal sounds they represent — not the spelling, the sound.