French · Difficult words
How to pronounce quatre-vingt-dix in French
quatre-vingt-dix
Ninety
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
quatre-vingt-dix is pronounced /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃.dis/ in French. In quatre-vingt-dix: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in quatre-vingt-dix
Read quatre-vingt-dix in these IPA segments: ka · tʁə · vɛ̃ · dis. 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.Nasal vowels
In quatre-vingt-dix: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization.
Watch out: Do not automatically add a separate n or m after the nasal vowel.
2.The French r /ʁ/
In quatre-vingt-dix: Use gentle friction toward the back of the mouth. Keep the tongue tip relaxed while connecting r to its neighboring vowel.
Watch out: Avoid a strong English curled r or adding a vowel before the consonant.
3.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In quatre-vingt-dix: 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
Prends le bus quatre-vingt-dix.
Take bus ninety.
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
quatre-vingt-dix 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 quatre-vingt-dix
How do you pronounce quatre-vingt-dix?
quatre-vingt-dix is pronounced /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃.dis/ in French. In quatre-vingt-dix: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In quatre-vingt-dix: Let some air pass through the nose while keeping the vowel continuous. The tilde /̃/ marks nasalization. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
