Minimal pairs to distinguish é, è, and ê

Here are some minimal pairs to distinguish the French vowels é (/e/), è (/ɛ/), and ê (/ɛ/):

• The vowel é with acute accent (/e/) is a close-mid front unrounded vowel, similar to the “ay” sound in English “day.”
• The vowels è (grave accent) and ê (circumflex accent) both represent the open-mid front unrounded vowel (/ɛ/), similar to the “e” in English “bet.”

Minimal pairs distinguished mainly between é (/e/) and è or ê (/ɛ/) include word pairs like:

• fée (fairy) [fe] versus fait (fact/done) [fɛ]
• piquer (to prick) [pike] versus piquet (stake) [pikɛ]
• nez (nose) [ne] versus nè (dialectal or rare form) or similar /ɛ/ vowel words
• pré (meadow) [pre] versus prêt (ready) [prɛ]
• péché (sin) [peʃe] versus pêcher (to fish) [pɛʃe]

Other minimal pairs include:

• allé (past participle, with é) versus allait (imperfect tense, with è)
• jeter (to throw, with é) versus jeté (thrown, with é) contrasted with verbs having è like achète (buy - j’achète)
• mêler (to mix) with ê pronounced as /ɛ/

In practice, distinctions between è and ê can be minimal or merged regionally. The main distinction is between the closed /e/ (é) and open /ɛ/ (è, ê) vowel sounds.

These minimal pairs can help learners tune their ear to differences in vowel height and openness critical for precise French pronunciation. ^{1, 2, 9}

References

• Help me find minimal pairs for sounds é and è - French

• French e, è, é, ê, ë – what’s the difference?

• The Vowels /e/ and /ɛ/ (e.g.: aller and allait)

• É

• A beginner’s guide to French pronunciation (with audio)

• Minimal Pairs æ and e - List of Words with Pronunciation

• French accents e : é, è, ê and ë

• Minimal Pair /æ/ and /e/ | Learn English

• “e”, “é” or “è”

• Front Vowels: ɛ vs e and æ | Perfect English Pronunciation

• Mid Front Vowels: e vs ɛ