French · Difficult words

How to pronounce baleine in French

baleine

Whale

bah-lehn/ba.lɛn/

French of France; reference: French, Paris, standard · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.

baleine is pronounced /ba.lɛn/ in French. In baleine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in baleine

Read baleine in these IPA segments: ba · lɛn. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. French prominence belongs to the spoken phrase. Do not impose a heavy English-style stress on every isolated word.

  1. 1.The open /ɛ/ vowel

    In baleine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide.

    Watch out: Avoid turning this vowel into English “ay”.

  2. 2.An open vowel

    In baleine: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.

    Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.

Hear it in context

Une baleine a soufflé près du bateau.

A whale spouted near the boat.

Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.

Pronunciation and variety

baleine is presented using French of France. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.

The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.

Meaning and everyday use

Questions about baleine

How do you pronounce baleine?

baleine is pronounced /ba.lɛn/ in French. In baleine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In baleine: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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