11 in French
onze
Updated June 2026
The number that refuses elision
NUMERAL
11
FRENCH
onze
IPA
/ɔ̃z/
Real sentence examples
“Il est onze heures du matin.”
“Le onze novembre est un jour férié en France.”
“Le onze de France entre sur le terrain.”
Pronunciation and morphology notes
Onze comes from Latin "undecim", not "dix-un". Its defining quirk is that it blocks elision and liaison: you say "le onze" (never "l'onze") and "le onze novembre" with no liaison, exactly as if it began with an aspirate h. It is one of the rare vowel-initial French words that refuses elision. "Le onze" also nicknames a football team (eleven players).
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 11 in French?
11 in French is "onze".
How is onze (11) pronounced in French?
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, "onze" is transcribed /ɔ̃z/. Use the audio button on this page to hear the standard French pronunciation.
How is 11 used in a French sentence?
A natural example is: "Il est onze heures du matin."
Related numbers
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