Liaison Rules with French Numbers

The same number sounds different depending on what comes next. The table below shows the most common counting contexts: number plus vowel-initial noun (liaison fires) versus number plus consonant-initial noun (consonant drops or stays silent).

Updated May 2026

PhraseIPANoteAudio
deux amis/doe.z‿a.mi/x of deux voices to /z/ before vowel.
trois ans/tʁwa.z‿ɑ̃/s of trois voices to /z/.
cinq amis/sɛ̃k.a.mi/q of cinq stays /k/.
cinq livres/sɛ̃ livʁ/q drops before consonant.
six oeufs/si.z‿oe/x voices to /z/.
six livres/si livʁ/x drops before consonant.
sept heures/sɛ.t‿oer/t already voiced; carries normally.
huit ans/ɥi.t‿ɑ̃/t carries to vowel.
huit livres/ɥi livʁ/t drops before consonant.
neuf ans/noev‿ɑ̃/f shifts to /v/. Only before ans and heures.
neuf heures/noev‿oer/Same f-to-v shift.
neuf enfants/noef‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/No f-to-v before enfants (or any other word that is not ans / heures).
dix amis/di.z‿a.mi/x voices to /z/.
dix livres/di livʁ/x drops before consonant.
vingt ans/vɛ̃.t‿ɑ̃/t of vingt voiced in liaison.
cent ans/sɑ̃.t‿ɑ̃/t of cent voiced in liaison.
deux cent ans/doe.sɑ̃.t‿ɑ̃/t of cent still liaises after the s drops on cent (no plural here).
mille ans/mil‿ɑ̃/L of mille already voiced; carries normally.

The neuf-to-neuv exception

Neuf is the only French cardinal where the final consonant changes identity in liaison. Before ans and heures only, the /f/ becomes /v/. Every other vowel-initial noun keeps /f/. Larousse documents this as a fixed lexical pair; the rule does not generalise.

Related

Frequently asked

What is liaison in French?

A pronunciation rule that voices the final consonant of one word when the next word starts with a vowel. The consonant is normally silent in isolation. Liaison appears in obligatory contexts (article + noun, pronoun + verb) and optional contexts (adjective + noun, adverb + adjective). In numbers, liaison is obligatory before nouns and articles in counting contexts.

Do all French numbers carry liaison?

Most do. Deux, trois, six, dix carry liaison with /z/. Sept, huit, vingt, cent carry it with /t/. Neuf shifts /f/ to /v/ but only before ans and heures. Cinq stays /k/ optionally. Un carries an /n/ liaison: un ami = /oe~.n‿a.mi/. Four (quatre) does not carry liaison in standard French.

Why does neuf ans sound like neuv ans?

Lexical exception. The two words ans and heures are the only nouns where neuf carries an /f/-to-/v/ voicing in liaison. Before any other vowel-initial noun, neuf keeps /f/: neuf enfants = /noef‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/. The exception is centuries old, codified in the Academie francaise dictionary, and held by every native speaker.

Should I always use liaison when counting in French?

In counting contexts (un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq ...) you do not need liaison because there is no following word. In counted-noun contexts (deux ans, dix euros, vingt ans) liaison is obligatory. In agreement contexts (deux et trois) you do not liaise across et. The simplest rule: liaise when a number is immediately followed by a noun starting with a vowel or silent h.

Sources: Larousse (liaison entry), Wiktionnaire, CNRTL, Academie francaise.

Updated 2026-05-11