The French R: Position & Practice
Learn where the French R is produced in the mouth, and practice it in different word positions.
French R (/ʁ/) is produced at the BACK of the throat, between the back of the tongue and the soft palate — like a soft gargle, not with the tongue tip.
English R curls the tongue tip backward (retroflex); French R does the opposite: keep the tongue tip down and low, and let the back of the throat vibrate gently.
Trap for English speakers: never curl your tongue for French R — that produces an English R, which French listeners immediately hear as foreign.
- rouge — red — R at word start
- mari — husband — R between vowels
- pour — for — R at word end