Spelling the sound [ ]

The spelling of a sound may be influenced by several factors:

  •   syllable structure: open or closed
  •   environment
  •   the position of the sound within a word: initial, middle, final
  •   a combination of two or more of the above

Conversely, how letters and letter groupings are pronounced may depend on different
factors:
  •   syllable structure: open or closed
  •   environment
  •   the position of the letter within a word: initial, middle, final
  •   a combination of two or more of the above


For the sound [ ], spelling is based on position.

How to spell it?


The sound [ ] is generally represented by the following letters:
  •   "f" in initial, middle or final position             fil, café, nef
  •   "ff" in middle position             affaire
  •   "ph" in initial or middle position             philosophie, scaphandre