French · Difficult words
How to pronounce quatre-vingts in French
quatre-vingts
Eighty
French of France · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
quatre-vingts is pronounced /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃/ in French. In quatre-vingts: The final written s is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃/. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in quatre-vingts
Read quatre-vingts in these IPA segments: ka · tʁə · vɛ̃. 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 final written s
In quatre-vingts: The final written s is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃/.
Watch out: Connected speech can differ, especially where liaison is possible. Do not generalize this word’s ending to every French word.
2.Nasal vowels
In quatre-vingts: 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.
3.The French r /ʁ/
In quatre-vingts: 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.
4.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In quatre-vingts: 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
Ma arrière-grand-mère a quatre-vingts ans.
My great-grandmother turns eighty.
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-vingts 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-vingts
How do you pronounce quatre-vingts?
quatre-vingts is pronounced /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃/ in French. In quatre-vingts: The final written s is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃/. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In quatre-vingts: The final written s is not sounded in this isolated-word reference. Finish with the last sound shown in /ka.tʁə.vɛ̃/. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
