French · Difficult words

How to pronounce couple in French

couple

Couple

koopl/kupl/

French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.

couple is pronounced /kupl/ in French. In couple: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in couple

The reference transcription for couple is /kupl/. Read adjacent consonants together without inserting extra vowels. French prominence belongs to the spoken phrase. Do not impose a heavy English-style stress on every isolated word.

  1. 1.Back rounded vowels

    In couple: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA.

    Watch out: Avoid inserting a y sound before the vowel unless the IPA includes /j/.

Hear it in context

Il y a un couple à la table du fond.

There's a couple at the back table.

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

couple 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 couple

How do you pronounce couple?

couple is pronounced /kupl/ in French. In couple: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In couple: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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