voir

SEE - See that voir is a French verb, not an English verb. The standard Parisian pronunciation is [vwaʁ], with a short, clipped vowel [vwa] and a uvular fricative [ʁ]. The stress is on the syllable: voir is monosyllabic, but in compounds the syllabic rhythm shifts—the key is the vowel rounding and lip rounding for [v] and [w], followed by the French [ʁ]. Listen to a native: [vwaʁ]. Keywords: [v], [w], [a], [ʁ].

Common errors include pronouncing the vowel as an English long 'voi' as in 'voice' instead of the French [vwa], and failing to articulate the uvular [ʁ] or using an English 'r'. Another mistake is not rounding the lips for [v] and [w] transitions, resulting in a flat --- say it as [v] + [wa] + [ʁ], with lip rounding early in the [w] sound. Practice by isolating the [v] and [w] sequence and ending with a proper French [ʁ].

In Standard French, [vwaʁ] with a uvular [ʁ] is typical. Canadian French may have a more approximant or even a guttural realization, but still [ʁ]. Some regional Parisian or Swiss varieties may show less prominent lip rounding and a nearly alveolar [ʁ]. English-influenced learners might substitute [v] or [w] with English approximants, or entropy of [ɹ]. Keep the vowel rounded and the final rhotic crisp in French. IPA references: [vwaʁ].

Voir challenges learners because it combines a labial-velar start [v] transitioning into a rounded [wa] sequence and finishing with a distinct French uvular [ʁ]. The coarticulation between [v] and [w] is subtle; the [ʁ] has a back-of-throat quality that’s unfamiliar to many learners. Mastery requires smoothing the glide into the vowel while maintaining lip rounding for both [v] and [w], then finishing with a tight, trailing [ʁ].

In standard Parisian French, the final [ʁ] is pronounced in voir; it is not silent. In liaison contexts, the consonant may influence following vowels (e.g., voir: [vwaʁ], voir + quelque chose might affect the following sound). Some casual speech may weaken the [ʁ], but in careful speech and in most dialects you’ll hear a clearly audible French 'r' at the end: [vwaʁ].