French · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Wolf" in French: loup

le loup

Say it: loomasculine · le loupnoun/lu/

Wolf in French is le loup; a female wolf is la louve. Plural les loups. Storybooks love le grand méchant loup.

Documentary

Le loup chasse en meute la nuit.
The wolf hunts in a pack at night.
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How to pronounce loup

Say it

loo

/lu/

Loo—ou as in food; final p silent. Louve is loov.

"Wolf" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le loupthe wolf

Default.

la louvethe female wolf

Feminine.

les loupsthe wolves

Plural.

le grand méchant loupthe big bad wolf

Fairy tales.

How to use loup in real life

  1. 1Documentary

    Le loup chasse en meute la nuit.

    The wolf hunts in a pack at night.

    Le loup.

  2. 2Kids' story

    Attention au grand méchant loup !

    Watch out for the big bad wolf!

    Story phrase.

  3. 3Nature park

    On a aperçu une louve avec ses louveteaux.

    We spotted a female wolf with her cubs.

    Louve.

Mistakes English speakers make with loup

Incorrect: La loup.

Correct: Le loup. / La louve.

Masculine default le loup; female louve.

Incorrect: Les loupes (for wolves)

Correct: Les loups.

Loupe means magnifying glass; wolves are loups.

Good to know

Le loup fills fairy tales and Alpine debates about wildlife. Pronounce loup without the p. Louveteau is a wolf cub—and a junior scout name.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Reading a fairy tale aloud

  1. ChatPal

    Tu fais la voix du loup ?

    Will you do the wolf's voice?

  2. You

    Oui : je suis le grand méchant loup !

    Yes: I'm the big bad wolf!

  3. ChatPal

    Parfait. Et après, la louve sauve les enfants.

    Perfect. And afterward the she-wolf saves the kids.

  4. You

    Belle fin.

    Nice ending.

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"Wolf" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Wolf" in French

How do you say wolf in French?

Le loup.

What is a female wolf?

La louve.

What is the plural?

Les loups.

How do you pronounce loup?

Loo—silent p.

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