What are the hardest English sounds to grasp for French learners?
6 answers from our tutors
Probably the most difficult English sounds for French speakers are the soft "th" sound as in the "the", The Hard "th" as in "thin", pronouncing the letter "H" (which is always silent in French, and the schwa sound that is only found in UK English.
Hi I suppose th sound and ugh sound Best Regards
Check your English level for free
Take our quick and free test to find out your current level of English
Start test
The sounds, gh, like trough The _ous The r in general
not sure about French, but everyone in the world seems to have problems with TH.
In my opinion : Though as English speakers we agonize over the French rs, uires, oues, and more nasally sounds, the French have an equally difficult time with English. Among these sounds are: the ths, the rs, the hs, the shs, and the ws
From my experience living in France, I would say the soft and hard "TH" sounds in English are the hardest for French people to make. French and English both have a wealth of vowel sounds so normally I can detect a French accent based on their intonation and their inability or confusion when producing one or both of the "TH" sounds in English. Everyone is different though! :) The English R is also quite different from the French R and it's another giveaway when meeting a Francophone! Happy Language learning; practice makes perfect!
