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

How to spell it?

For the sound [ ], both syllable structure and environment are taken into account.
Consequently:

  •   The sound [ ] can be spelled i + pronounced vowel within a syllable
Examples:             b ien , hier , mons ieur

  •   The sound [ ] can be spelled y + pronounced vowel within a syllable
Examples:             cra yon , pa yer

  •   The sound [ ] can be spelled vowel + il in a final position for masculine nouns
Examples:             a il , oe il

  •   The sound [ ] can be spelled vowel + ille in a final position for feminine noun
Examples:             pa ille

  •   The sound [ ] can be spelled vowel + ille in a middle position
Examples:             feu ille ton

  •   The sound [ ] can be spelled i in a middle position when in the following context:
consonant + r / l + i + pronounced vowel
Examples:             cr i
er, pl i er