alphabet
/al.fa.bɛ/masculine
The English phrase 'alphabet' is alphabet in French.
The word refers to an ordered set of letters used in a language.
Meaning: an ordered set of letters used in a language (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
alphabet is a masculine noun. For example, you would say un alphabet to mean 'an alphabet'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /al.fa.bɛ/.
Did you know?
- The French word alphabet descends from Egyptian hieroglyphs for an 'ox' and a 'house' via the Phoenician and Greek scripts.
- While the French alphabet uses the same 26 letters as English, it employs five different accent marks. These marks are not considered separate letters of the alphabet but modifications of existing ones.
- While the French alphabet shares its 26 letters with English, the letters themselves change their names, such as English 'G' becoming French gé.
Examples in context
- Récite l'alphabet à l'envers.Say the alphabet backwards.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to say the alphabet backwards.Tatoeba #470921 by sacredceltic, translation #67287 by sacredceltic
- Écris l'alphabet en majuscules.Write the alphabet in capitals.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to write the alphabet in capitals.Tatoeba #6467307 by lapinhibou, translation #67288 by CM
- L'alphabet anglais a 26 lettres.The English alphabet has 26 letters.This sentence is useful for stating a fact about the number of letters in the English alphabet.Tatoeba #830243 by RaspaKrusto, translation #26340 by CK
- Je connais bien l'alphabet français.I am familiar with the French alphabet.
- Les lettres de l'alphabet sont essentielles pour former des mots.The letters of the alphabet are essential for forming words.
- On apprend l'alphabet dès le plus jeune âge.We learn the alphabet from a young age.
- Dans cette leçon, nous allons voir comment prononcer l'alphabet français.In this lesson, we will learn how to pronounce the French alphabet.
- 81 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan is helping Emma study for a language test.
- NathanEst-ce que tu connais l'alphabet grec ?Do you know the Greek alphabet?
- EmmaNon, je ne le connais pas encore.No, I don't know it yet.
- NathanL'alphabet est assez simple à apprendre.The alphabet is quite simple to learn.
- EmmaTu peux m'aider, Nathan ?Can you help me, Nathan?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “alphabet” translations and entries alphabet, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alphabet, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
