*All examples are kept in French to help
Identify the Part of Speech
Votre and notre, where -o- is pronounced [ɔ], are possessive adjectives:
Votre appartement est vaste, le nôtre est tout petit.
Nôtre and vôtre, where -ô- is pronounced [o], can be:
- Possessive adjectives: « (ces promesses), nous les avons faites nôtres » (M. Proust)
- Possessive pronouns: le nôtre, la vôtre...
- Nouns: Soyez des nôtres. Mettez-y du vôtre comme nous mettons du nôtre !
Recognizing Homophones: O – Ô – AU – EAU
We write -au- in suffixes like -aud which become -aude in the feminine form:
lourd → lourdaud ; noir → noiraud
We write -eau in suffixes like: château, éléphanteau, troupeau…
We write -eau in derivatives where you hear [o] or [ø]:
agneau – agnelet ; bateau – batellerie ; cerveau – cervelle ; sceau – sceller
We write -ô when in a derivative, the sound is [os] or [oz]:
apôtre → apostolat ; côte → accoster ; impôt → imposer ; hôpital → hospitalier ; dépôt → déposer
Country/Language Adjectives Ending in -ô
Use -ô in shortened adjectives relating to countries or regions:
franco-allemande, anglo-normandes, hispano-américain, etc.
Common Words Ending in -o
dactylo, kilo, météo, photo, radio, vélo...
Words with Prefixes co- + vowel
These maintain the spelling: coopérer, coordonner, coopter...
Use Your Memory (Orthographic Memory)
Masculine nouns that end in the /o/ sound can be spelled in various ways:
Masculine Words by Spelling Category
➤ -o: un cargo, un piano, un bobo, un veto...
➤ -ô: un dôme, un rôle, un trône, un dépôt...
➤ -au: un tuyau, un matériau, un tableau, un niveau...
➤ -eau: un château, un cadeau, un seau, un rideau...
➤ -ot: un sabot, un complot, un ragoût...
➤ -os: un albatros, un cosmos, un matos...
Words with Multiple Spellings for the [o] Sound
Some words contain at least two different spellings of the [o] sound:
aîné / aînée, projeté, prôner, téléphérique, restauration, grignote / grignoté,
maurasque / mauresque, zizote / zigoto, etc.
Bonus: Words Starting with 'zoo-'
Words like zoologique, zoophile, zoophage, all relate to the Greek root 'zoo' (meaning animal).
Conclusion
If you're learning French, understanding homophones and mastering their spelling is an essential step toward fluency.
These patterns and examples will help you write more confidently and clearly.
Would you like to practice these with exercises or a quiz? Feel free to book a session with me, and we'll reinforce these concepts together with pronunciation and writing tips!
