French · Places

How to pronounce Rouen in French

Rouen

Rouen (place name)

rwah/ʁwɑ̃/

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

Rouen is pronounced /ʁwɑ̃/ in French. In Rouen: 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 Rouen

The reference transcription for Rouen is /ʁwɑ̃/. 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.Nasal vowels

    In Rouen: 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. 2.The French r /ʁ/

    In Rouen: 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. 3.An open vowel

    In Rouen: 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

Notre destination est Rouen.

Our destination is Rouen.

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

Rouen 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 Rouen

How do you pronounce Rouen?

Rouen is pronounced /ʁwɑ̃/ in French. In Rouen: 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 Rouen: 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.

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