Saint-Émilion

A Quick Overview Of Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion Pronunciation

There are a couple of things to watch out for when pronouncing Saint-Émilion (which you will also see written Saint Emilion).

Firstly, in Saint, the -ai- vowel cluster sounds most like the a in sand, and the n is nasalized.

Usually, the t at the end of Saint is silent in French, unless you are referring to a female saint, where the spelling is sainte. French has an odd rule where the consonant at the end of one word,  followed by a word starting with a vowel is sounded instead of being silent, and the two words run into one. The phonetic spelling is not a mistake, it reflects that this is what happens in this name. In French, this is referred to as liasion.

The pronunciation of Émilion is straightforward. The n is  nasalized. The best way to describe this nasalized sound to English speakers is to refer to the sound of the n only in sing.

Where or what is Saint-Émilion?

Saint-Émilion is a town and commune in Aquitaine. If Aquitaine sounds a little obscure, it is only because this region of France is eclipsed by its capital city which wine-lovers all over the world will instantly recognise. The famous Bordeaux wines derive their name from the city of Bordeaux which is located in Aquitaine.

Saint-Émilion is also an AOC red wine.

How to pronounce Aquitaine

Aquitaine is pronounced ah:kee:tehn. The audio pronunciation is straighforward to follow.