Numbers 1 to 10 in French

The first ten cardinals in French look easy on paper. Five of them shift pronunciation depending on what follows, so the same word can sound three ways. The table below shows IPA from Wiktionnaire and the liaison rule from Larousse for each row.

Updated May 2026

N	French	IPA	Notes
1	un	/oe~/	Nasal vowel. Feminine form: une /yn/. Used for 1 person / object as well as the article "a".
2	deux	/doe/	The x is silent in isolation. Carries liaison before a vowel: deux amis = /doe.z‿a.mi/.
3	trois	/tʁwa/	Final s is silent in isolation. Liaison before a vowel: trois ans = /tʁwa.z‿ɑ̃/.
4	quatre	/katʁ/	Final e is barely voiced. Final r is pronounced.
5	cinq	/sɛ̃k/	Final q is sounded in isolation: /sɛ̃k/. Before a consonant noun, q often drops: cinq livres = /sɛ̃ livʁ/. Before a vowel, q is kept: cinq amis = /sɛ̃k.a.mi/.
6	six	/sis/	Three pronunciations: /sis/ in isolation, /si/ before consonant (six livres), /siz/ before vowel (six amis).
7	sept	/sɛt/	Final t is sounded. The p is silent. Pronunciation stable across contexts: /sɛt/.
8	huit	/ɥit/	Begins with aspirated h: blocks elision (le huit, not l'huit) but still permits liaison. T sounded in isolation: /ɥit/. Before consonant the t often drops: huit livres = /ɥi livʁ/.
9	neuf	/noef/	Final f sounded /noef/. Before ans / heures the f becomes v: neuf ans = /noev‿ɑ̃/, neuf heures = /noev‿oer/. Only happens before these two words.
10	dix	/dis/	Like six: /dis/ alone, /di/ before consonant, /diz/ before vowel. Dixieme is /di.zjɛm/.

The three-pronunciation problem

Five of the ten words (cinq, six, huit, neuf, dix) move between two or three pronunciations depending on the next sound. The rule is simpler than it looks: in isolation you say the full form, before a vowel you carry the consonant across (liaison), and before another consonant the final consonant often drops to keep the rhythm light. Larousse and the Academie francaise both treat this as standard, not optional.

Next steps

1 to 20 in French covers 11 to 19, the teen forms.
1 to 30 in French introduces the vingt-et-un connector.
Silent letters in French numbers maps which letters are written but not voiced.
Liaison rules with French numbers goes deeper on the context shifts.
Un vs une explains gender agreement inside number compounds.

Frequently asked

How do you pronounce 1 to 10 in French?

Un /oe~/, deux /doe/, trois /tʁwa/, quatre /katʁ/, cinq /sɛ̃k/, six /sis/, sept /sɛt/, huit /ɥit/, neuf /noef/, dix /dis/. Several of these change depending on what follows: cinq, six, huit, and dix drop or shift their final consonant before another consonant; neuf becomes /noev/ before ans and heures only.

Why does six sound different in six amis vs six livres?

French liaison. In isolation, six is /sis/. Before a vowel-initial word the final consonant is voiced and linked: six amis = /si.z‿a.mi/. Before a consonant-initial word the final consonant drops entirely: six livres = /si livʁ/. Same rule applies to dix and (more conservatively) to cinq and huit.

Is un masculine or feminine?

Both, depending on what it counts. Un is the masculine cardinal; une is feminine. So 1 book is un livre but 1 page is une page. The same applies inside compounds: vingt et un livres (21 books, masculine), vingt et une pages (21 pages, feminine).

Is huit pronounced with the h?

No. The h is silent in modern French. But huit behaves as a so-called h aspire word: it blocks elision (you say le huit, not l'huit) while still permitting liaison in some contexts. This is rare among numbers but worth memorising.

How do you write 1 to 10 as words in French?

un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. All ten words are invariable in spelling (no plural form) when used as bare cardinals. They take agreement only when functioning as nouns (les deux, the two of them) or as ordinal first (premier, premiere).

Sources: Larousse (larousse.fr), Wiktionnaire francophone (fr.wiktionary.org), CNRTL (cnrtl.fr), Academie francaise. IPA is broad phonemic.