In this article, I am going to explain the French Pronunciation of the Double L.
In French, the double L is sometimes said like “L” and other times like “Y.” This lesson clarifies when to use each pronunciation and highlights exceptions.
Check also: Mastering Grammatical French Agreement: Rules and Examples
Rules for Pronouncing LL
Pronunciation of double L in French is generally straightforward: after A, E, O, U, and Y, it’s pronounced as “L.” However, when the double L follows an I, it takes on a “Y” sound in combinations with vowel + ILL.
- eill (oreille)
- euill (feuille)
- œill (œillet)
- ouill (grenouille)
- ueill (cueillir)
- uill (juillet)
- aill (e.g., taille)
LL is pronounced like a Y in words like fille, la Bastille, Millau, and chantilly. However, there are numerous words in which the double L is pronounced like an L. Here is the complete list:
- un bacille – germ, bacillus
- billevesées – nonsense
- un billion – trillion
- capillaire – capillary
- un codicille – codicil
- distiller – to distill
- une fibrille – small fiber (fibrillaire, fibrillation)
- un krill – krill
- Lille – town in northern France
- lilliputien – Liliputian
- mille – thousand (un millénium, millier, etc.)
- un mille – mile (le millage)
- milli- (prefix)
- un milliard – billion (un milliardaire, le milliardième, etc.)
- un million – million (un millionaire, le millionième, etc.)
- osciller – to oscillate, swing
- un/e pupille – ward of the state
- une pupille – pupil
- une scille – scilla
- une spongille – spongilla
- tranquille – calm, tranquil
- un verticille – verticil
- un vexille – vexillum
- une ville – town (une villa, un village, etc.)
- une zorille – zorilla
- une famille – family (un familliste)
- des coquilles – shells (une coquille Saint-Jacques)
- l’intervalle – interval (intercaler)
- une coccinelle – ladybug (une coccinelles à sept points)
- travailler – to work (un travail)
- un gorille – gorilla (le gorille des montagnes)
- réveiller – to wake up (réveil)
- un outil – tool (un bricolage)
- une bastille – fortress (la prison de la Bastille)
- des moissons – harvests (le moissonneur)
- une étincelle – spark (étincelant)
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