French · Food & drink
How to pronounce cognac in French
cognac
cognac
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cognac is pronounced /kɔ.ɲak/ in French. In cognac: Raise the middle of your tongue for one connected “ny”-like consonant. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in cognac
Read cognac in these IPA segments: kɔ · ɲak. 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.The gn sound /ɲ/
In cognac: Raise the middle of your tongue for one connected “ny”-like consonant.
Watch out: Do not pronounce a hard g before the n.
2.The open /ɔ/ vowel
In cognac: Round the lips and keep a relatively open jaw. Sustain one vowel rather than moving toward a w sound.
Watch out: English “oh” often moves during the vowel; follow the steadier sound in the recording.
3.An open vowel
In cognac: 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
Le menu indique « cognac ».
The menu says “cognac”.
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
cognac 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.
Questions about cognac
How do you pronounce cognac?
cognac is pronounced /kɔ.ɲak/ in French. In cognac: Raise the middle of your tongue for one connected “ny”-like consonant. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In cognac: Raise the middle of your tongue for one connected “ny”-like consonant. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
