y
/i.ɡʁɛk/
The letter y in French is written as y.
What does it mean word for word?
The name of the letter is i grec, which literally means Greek i.
How do you pronounce it?
/i.ɡʁɛk/
Did you know?
- In certain informal contexts, particularly in Québécois French, y can function as a spoken contraction of the pronoun ils.
- The letter y functions as a pronoun meaning 'there' or 'to it', which is a completely different use from its role as an alphabet character.
- In informal writing, y serves as a phonetic shorthand for the pronouns il or ils.
Examples in context
- Combien de pays commencent par la lettre Y ?How many countries have names that start with the letter "Y"?This example illustrates how to ask about countries starting with the letter y.Tatoeba #3713587 by GB3, translation #3704955 by mervert1
- Les hommes ont un chromosome X et un Y, les femmes, deux X.Men have an X and Y chromosome, women, two Xs.This sentence uses y in the context of discussing chromosomes.Tatoeba #1725757 by sacredceltic, translation #1686184 by darinmex
- L'alphabet français contient vingt-six lettres : a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.The French alphabet contains twenty-six letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.This sentence lists the letters of the French alphabet, including y.Tatoeba #5150070 by nbrr, translation #5157685 by strangeanalyst
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are checking the spelling of a word in a classroom.
- LucasComment s'écrit ce nom de famille ?How is this last name spelled?
- EmmaIl y a un y à la fin.There is a y at the end.
- LucasC'est la lettre y, n'est-ce pas ?It is the letter y, isn't it?
- EmmaOui, exactement.Yes, exactly.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry y, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
