French Syllable
Counter — Compteur
Paste any French text and instantly count syllables with language-specific rules — e muet, élision, and alexandrine validation. Works for poetry, lyrics, and prose.
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Results update as you type. Toggle poetry mode to count e muet.
Comment compter les syllabes
en français
French syllabification differs from English in important ways — especially for poetry.
Final 'e' at the end of a word is silent in spoken French — but counts as a syllable in classical poetry. Toggle "poetry mode" to include it.
When a word ending in 'e' is followed by a vowel, the 'e' is dropped. "Je aime" → "j'aime". The apostrophe marks the dropped syllable.
Silent consonants at the end of words are pronounced before a following vowel. "Les enfants" — the 's' links. Does not create a new syllable.
When two vowels meet inside a word and each forms its own syllable. "Lion" = li-on (2 syllables). Unlike English, French hiatus usually keeps each vowel separate.
The most important meter in French classical poetry — exactly 12 syllables, split 6+6 at a caesura. Used by Racine, Hugo, Molière. This tool flags alexandrines automatically.
French vowel combinations like 'oi', 'ou', 'eu', 'ai' are usually one syllable. "Roi" = 1 syllable. "Nuit" = 1 syllable. Unlike Spanish, French rarely separates these.
Questions fréquentes
Quick answers about French syllable counting and this tool.
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