French (France) minimal pairs

Minimal pairs: vent and vont

/ɑ̃/vs/ɔ̃/

Hard for almost every learner, including speakers of English, Spanish, German and Chinese: both are nasal vowels, and they differ only in how open the mouth is and how round the lips are.

The difference. For an and en open the mouth wide, as for “ah”; for on round the lips into a small circle. In both, the air goes through the nose and no n is pronounced.

Practice all pairs

12 word pairs

Say both words in each pair. If Tono colors one of them amber or red, that is the sound to work on.

vent vont Practice
sans son Practice
blanc blond Practice
lent long Practice
banc bon Practice
pend pont Practice
dent don Practice
rang rond Practice
franc front Practice
temps thon Practice
plan plomb Practice
gant gond Practice

Contrast sentences

Both sounds in one sentence: the real test of whether you can switch between them.

Le vent souffle, ils vont rentrer. Practice
Il est parti sans son chapeau. Practice
Il parle lentement, mais longtemps. Practice
Il a les cheveux blonds et un pull blanc. Practice

How to practice minimal pairs

Listen to both words in Tono first, one after the other, until you can hear the difference.
Say the pair slowly and exaggerate the difference. Check that both words come back green.
Say the contrast sentences at normal speed. That is where the mix-up usually comes back.

Step-by-step help with these sounds: How to pronounce French nasal vowels (an, on, in)

More minimal pairs

English minimal pairs Spanish minimal pairs German minimal pairs