How Is W Pronounced in French

The letter w is uncommon in French words. While the sound is used in words like  oui, you will be hard-pressed to find a French word that begins with a w, which is one of two letters—the other is  the letter k—that were not in the original French alphabet, so it only appears in foreign words. However, with the increasing encroachment of foreign words into this Romance language, the letter w is popping up more in French. So, its important to understand how the letter is pronounced and in what context it is generally used. The French Use of the Letter W While the French language uses the Latin (or Roman) alphabet with 26 letters today, this was not always so. The letter w was added in the 19th century, most likely because of its use in the languages of other countries with whom the French interacted.   The same can be said for the letter k, which made an even later appearance in the French alphabet. How to Pronounce the French W When reciting the alphabet in French, the w is pronounced  doo-bluh-vay. This literally means double v and is similar to the Spanish w.  (Spanish is another Romance language where the letter w is not native.) In use, the letter w is found primarily in words borrowed from other languages. In almost every instance, the letter takes on the sound from the source language. For instance, it sounds like a v  for German words and like an English w in English words. French Words With W Due to the nonnative nature of w in French, the vocabulary list for this letter is somewhat brief. The French word is listed on the left and the English translation on the right. Click on the links for the French words to bring up a sound file and hear how these French w words are pronounced: Wagon   train car, truckloadWallon   WalloonWeek-end   weekend A  Walloon  is a member of a Celtic people living in south and southeast Belgium.  The Walloons, interestingly, speak French. So, this group of people, who speak the Romance language, could not be described in French until this foreign word—Wallon—was adopted and adapted into the French language, along with the elusive w.  Walloon  is also a region in southeast Belgium, called  Wallonia. Never a language to adopt words without some alteration, the name of the region is  Wallonie  in French. Other French W Words With the growth of foreign words in French, words starting with w in this Romance language are becoming more common.  Collins  French-English dictionary lists the following among the words that begin with w in French. English translations have been omitted in most cases where the translations are obvious. WalkmanWarrantWater-poloWatersWattWCWebWeb profond   deep webWeb sombre   dark webWebcamWebdesignwebdesignerWebinaireWebmasterwebmestreWebzineWesternWestphalieWhisky   whiskeyWhite-spiritWidgetWifiWishboneWok So, brush up on your ws—you just may need to use the letter when youre in France.