THE GENDER OF FRENCH NOUNS
The Rules for the Gender of French Nouns by Saul H. Rosenthal
Most common exceptions are given in parenthesis.
MASCULINE NOUNS
Rule 1: Nouns ending with a T (except: nuit, forêt, jument, dent, part,
mort)
Rule 2: Singular nouns ending in S (except: vis, souris, brebis, fois,
Bélarus)
Rule 3: Nouns ending in C are masculine
Rule 4: Nouns ending in I (except: fourmi),(with the exception of OI
nouns that don’t obey any rule.) (foi, loi, paroi are feminine)
Rule 5: Nouns ending in U (except: eau, peau, tribu, vertu, bru)
Rule 6: Nouns ending in L
Rule 7: Nouns ending in D
Rule 8: Nouns ending in N (except nouns ending in AISON and ION
that are feminine, and fin, main, façon, leçon. trahison).
Rule 9: Nouns ending in R (except some nouns ending in EUR and cour,
tour (tower), chair)
Nouns ending in EUR that refer to a person or thing that does
something are
also masculine. The rest of the EUR nouns are feminine.
Rule 10: Nouns ending in other consonants, (except nouns ending in X
that do not follow any clear rule and soif, clef, paix, voix, croix, noix,
toux.)
Rule 11: Nouns ending in O (except: photo, dactylo, dynamo, météo,
radio)
Rule 12: Nouns ending in A (except nouns imported from Italian or
Spanish.)
Rule 13: Although ending in E nouns ending in AGE, EGE, AIRE, IRE,
SME, CLE,
BLE, AND PLE. (except: page, plage, nage, rage, Norvège, aire, affaire,
grammaire, tirelire, débâcle, boucle, cible, fable)
Rule 14: Nouns ending in E (except those ending in IE and TE.)
Rule 15: Compound nouns starting with PORTE, BRISE, ESSUIE,
LANCE, LAVE, LÈCHE, PARE, CHOU, DESSOUS, DESSUS, or
signifying protection or opposition and starting with PARA and ANTI.
(except: antitoxine, antisepsie, choucroute)
Rule 16: Wines (except Syrah)
Note: Adjectives of languages used as nouns are masculine too
FEMININE NOUNS ENDINGS
Rule 17: Feminine nouns not ending in E
 Nouns ending in AISON
 Nouns ending in ION (except: scorpion, avion, camion)
 Nouns ending in EUR that do Not refer to a person or thing that does
something (except bonheur, équateur, malheur, coeur, honneur)
Rule 18: Nouns ending in double consonant followed by E (except MME
and RRE nouns that are mixed and gorille, pamplemousse, colosse,
abysse. (gosse and rebelle can be both genders)
Rule 19: Nouns ending in EE. (except musée, mausolée)
Rule 20: Nouns ending in EUSE, IERE, IENNE and TRICE. (Except:
derrière, )
Rule 21: Nouns with ANCE, ENCE and other NCE and NSE endings.
(Except: silence, prince)
Rule 22: Nouns ending in IE or IE (except: genie, sosie, brie cheese, foie,
le marié)
Rule 23: Nouns ending in UE (except words ending in QUE that are
mixed, and orgue)
Rule 24: Nouns ending with CHE (except caniche, panache, porche)
Rule 25: Nouns ending with MPE and MBE
Rule 26: Nouns ending with TE and TE (except nouns ending in OTE
and STE that are mixed, and compte, doute, mérite, pirate, diabète)
Rule 27: Nouns ending in URE, UNE, UVE, USE, EUSE
Nouns ending in U- CONSONANT-E are predominantely feminine
(except: coude, interlude, véhicule, testicule, groupe, cube, tube, juge,
pouce, costume, royaume, rhume)
Rule 28: Nouns ending in A-CONSONANT-E are predominantely
feminine
The ending ADE is always feminine. (except pétale, scandale, espace,
rapace, drame, octane, organe, râle, male, crane, âne, châle, vase, phare,
cigare)
Rule 29: Nouns ending in IVE, INE, AINE, ISE, ITE, TRICE (IRE and
AIRE are masculine – Other I-CONSONANT- E endings are
mixed)(benefice, exercice, service, artifice, caprice, appendice, délice,
indice, orifice are masculine)
Rule 30: Nouns ending in R-CONSONANT-E (except those ending in
RRE that are mixed and morse, inverse)
Rule 31: Nouns with GNE and NDE are predominantly feminine (except
dividende, monde, cygne, signe)
ENDINGS THAT FOLLOW NO RULE
Rule 32: Nouns ending in E-CONSONANT-E and E-CONSONANT E
are mixed (with the exception of the masculine EGE and the feminine
IERE, ETE.and ETE)
Rule 33: Nouns ending with O-CONSONANT-E or O-CONSONANT-E
Rule 34: Nouns ending with RE (with the exceptions of masculine IRE
and AIRE, and feminine URE and IERE
Rule 35: Nouns ending in NGE, FLE, GLE and XE
OTHER NOUN ENDINGS THAT FOLLOW NO RULE
OI, X, MME, ICE (that are not female occupations), QUE, IQUE, STE,
UBE, UGE, UCE, UME, ASE, ATE, A-CONSONANT-E, IPE, IME,
IGE, IDE, IXE, ILE