French Accents Explained: Pronunciation, History & the Lost "S"

Accented letters in French are essential for correct pronunciation and often carry historical significance. The five main diacritical marks in French are the acute accent (é), grave accent (è), circumflex (ê), tréma (ë), and cedilla (ç). Each affects pronunciation, and some even reveal fascinating linguistic evolution—particularly the acute and circumflex accents, which often replace a lost letter “s” from Old French spellings.

1. The Acute Accent (é) – L’accent aigu

Effect on Pronunciation:
The acute accent appears only on the letter “e” (é) and changes its sound from a schwa (like the “e” in “je”) to a closed “ay” sound, as in “café” or “été.”

Historical Note:
In some cases, the acute accent marks where an “s” was dropped from Old French. For example:

“École” (school) comes from the Old French “escole,” derived from Latin “schola.”
“Été” (summer) was once “esté.”

2. The Grave Accent (è, à, ù) – L’accent grave

Effect on Pronunciation:

On “e” (è), it makes an open “eh” sound, as in “père” (father) or “frère” (brother).
On “a” (à) and “u” (ù), it distinguishes homophones but does not change pronunciation (e.g., “a” vs. “à”, or “ou” vs. “où”).

Historical Note:
Unlike the acute and circumflex, the grave accent does not typically replace a lost “s,” but it helps differentiate words that would otherwise sound identical.

3. The Circumflex (ê, î, ô, û) – L’accent circonflexe

Effect on Pronunciation:

On “e” (ê), it lengthens the vowel to an open “eh” sound, as in “forêt” (forest).
On other vowels, it may indicate a change in sound (e.g., “hôtel” vs. “hotel” in English) or simply mark historical spelling.

Historical Note:
The circumflex often signals a missing “s” from Old French or Latin:

“Forêt” was once “forest” (from Latin “forestis”).
“Hôpital” (hospital) comes from “hospital.”
“Île” (island) was formerly “isle” (from Latin “insula”).

4. The Tréma (ë, ï, ü) – Le tréma

Effect on Pronunciation:
The tréma indicates that two adjacent vowels should be pronounced separately rather than as a diphthong:

“Noël” (Christmas) is pronounced “no-ell” (not “nowl”).
“Naïve” is “na-eev” (not “nayv”).

Historical Note:
While not linked to a lost “s,” the tréma helps clarify pronunciation in borrowed or complex words.

5. The Cedilla (ç) – La cédille

Effect on Pronunciation:
The cedilla softens a “c” from a hard “k” sound to a soft “s” sound before “a,” “o,” or “u”:

“Garçon” (boy) is pronounced “gar-son” (not “gar-kon”).
“Français” (French) is “fran-say.”

Historical Note:
The cedilla comes from a small “z” written beneath the letter in medieval manuscripts, indicating the softened pronunciation.

More examples

Here are more examples of French words where the acute (é) and circumflex (ê, î, ô, û) accents replace a lost “s” from Old French or Latin:

1. Words with an Acute Accent (é) from a Lost “S”

The é often comes from Latin or Old French words that had an “es-“ or “-es” prefix/suffix:

“Étudier” (to study) ← Old French “estudier” ← Latin “studium”
“Épée” (sword) ← Old French “espee” ← Latin “spatha”
“Étranger” (foreigner) ← Old French “estrangier” ← Latin “extraneus”
“Écrire” (to write) ← Old French “escrire” ← Latin “scribere”
“Étable” (stable) ← Old French “estable” ← Latin “stabulum”

2. Words with a Circumflex (ê, î, ô, û) from a Lost “S”

The circumflex (^) frequently marks where an “s” was dropped between vowels or at the end of a word:

A. ê (from “es” or “e + s”)

“Fête” (festival) ← Old French “feste” ← Latin “festa”
“Bête” (beast) ← Old French “beste” ← Latin “bestia”
“Tête” (head) ← Old French “teste” ← Latin “testa”
“Arrêter” (to stop) ← Old French “arester” (from Latin “ad + restare”)
“Hôtel” (hotel) ← Old French “hostel” ← Latin “hospitale”

B. î (from “is” or “i + s”)

“Île” (island) ← Old French “isle” ← Latin “insula”
“Dîner” (to dine) ← Old French “disner” (from Latin “disjejunare”)
“Gîte” (lodging) ← Old French “giste” (from Latin “jacere”, to lie down)

C. ô (from “os” or “o + s”)

“Hôpital” (hospital) ← Old French “hospital” ← Latin “hospitale”
“Côte” (coast/rib) ← Old French “coste” ← Latin “costa”
“Goût” (taste) ← Old French “goust” ← Latin “gustus”

D. û (from “us” or “u + s”)

“Dû” (past participle of “devoir”, owed) ← Old French “deu” (originally “deus”)
“Mûr” (ripe) ← Old French “meur” (from Latin “maturus”, but influenced by “meurs”)

Words Where the “S” Survived in English

Many French words lost their “s” (replaced by an accent), while English kept it:

French (with accent)	Old French (with “s”)	English (kept “s”)
forêt	forest	forest
hôpital	hospital	hospital
hôtel	hostel	hostel
bête	beste	beast
île	isle	isle
épée	espee	spear (from “spatha”)
fête	feste	feast

Why Did the “S” Disappear?

Between the 12th and 18th centuries, French pronunciation evolved, and many “s” sounds before consonants were dropped. However, scribes kept a trace of the lost letter by adding:

An acute accent (é) when the “s” was at the beginning of a word.
A circumflex (^) when the “s” was in the middle or end.

This explains why English, which borrowed many French words after the Norman Conquest (1066), often retains the older spelling with “s”, while modern French uses accents.