French · Difficult words
How to pronounce hôtel in French
hôtel
Hotel
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
hôtel is pronounced /o.tɛl/ in French. In hôtel: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in hôtel
Read hôtel in these IPA segments: o · tɛl. 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.A steady /o/ vowel
In hôtel: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription.
Watch out: Avoid automatically turning a single /o/ into the moving vowel of English “go”.
2.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In hôtel: 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”.
Hear it in context
On a trouvé un hôtel près de la gare.
We found a hotel near the station.
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
hôtel 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 hôtel
How do you pronounce hôtel?
hôtel is pronounced /o.tɛl/ in French. In hôtel: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In hôtel: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
