Indicateurs du Genre par Terminaison

A learner facing the wall of French gender often asks the obvious question: is there a pattern? The honest answer is yes — and a remarkably useful one. About 80% of French nouns can have their gender predicted from their ending alone. That is, you can read a noun you have never seen before and guess its gender correctly four times out of five. The remaining 20% live in famous exception sets that every French speaker has internalized. Knowing the rules and the exceptions converts gender from a brute-memory task into a structured one.

This page maps the predictive endings systematically. Two cautions before we begin: first, these rules apply to noun endings, not adjective endings (adjective formation has its own page). Second, "predictable" means probabilistic, not certain — the rules give a strong default, but the specific noun must still be verified, especially for words whose meaning depends on gender (un livre vs une livre).

The 80% promise

The endings below are reliable enough that, in the absence of any other information, betting the rule will pay off four times out of five. For the most reliable endings — -tion, -isme, -té — accuracy is closer to 99%. For weaker endings — -on, -ille, -e — accuracy is closer to 60% and you genuinely need to memorize each noun.

The strategy a fluent speaker uses: apply the ending rule as a starting hypothesis, override it with stored knowledge for the specific word if you have it, and bet on the rule for nouns you don't know. This is also the strategy a learner should adopt from the start.

Predictable masculine endings

-age (masculine)

Most nouns ending in -age are masculine. The ending often signals a process, an action, or the result of an action.

The famous -age exceptions — six high-frequency feminine nouns that every learner must memorize:

• la cage — cage
• la page — page
• la plage — beach
• la rage — rage; rabies
• la nage — swimming, swim stroke
• l'image — image, picture

A traditional mnemonic groups them: cage, page, plage, rage, nage, image. These are the only common feminine -age nouns; everything else is masculine.

-ment (masculine)

Almost all -ment nouns are masculine. The ending often forms abstract nouns from verbs (sentir → sentiment) or adjectives.

Exceptions: la jument (mare). That is essentially the only common feminine -ment noun. The pattern is otherwise reliable.

-eau (masculine)

Nouns ending in -eau are masculine, including the very common bureau, tableau, château, gâteau, manteau, chapeau, cadeau.

Exceptions: l'eau (water — feminine), la peau (skin — feminine). These two are the only common feminine -eau nouns. L'eau hides its gender in the elision; you only hear it on agreement: l'eau froide, de l'eau pure.

-isme (masculine)

Nouns ending in -isme are masculine without exception in everyday vocabulary. The ending forms abstract nouns naming doctrines, movements, conditions.

This is one of the most reliable rules in French. Any -isme word — tourisme, journalisme, réalisme, capitalisme, communisme, optimisme, organisme, mécanisme, journalisme, racisme, sexisme, féminisme — is masculine.

-on (mostly masculine, common exceptions)

Most -on nouns are masculine: le balcon, le poisson, le citron, le carton, le savon, le pantalon, le bouchon, le ballon.

Important exceptions — common feminine -on nouns:

• la maison — house
• la raison — reason
• la saison — season
• la prison — prison
• la chanson — song
• la boisson — drink, beverage
• la leçon — lesson
• la façon — way, manner

These are common enough that learners encounter them quickly. Note the pattern: most exceptions end in -son (maison, raison, saison, prison, chanson, boisson), suggesting -son may be a more reliable feminine sub-ending. Other -on exceptions: la rançon (ransom), la moisson (harvest).

-er (masculine)

Nouns ending in -er, especially profession names and infinitives used as nouns, are masculine.

Exceptions: la mer (sea), la cuiller / la cuillère (spoon — both spellings). La mer is the most important: a high-frequency feminine -er noun. The corresponding adjective sounds the same as mère (mother), but spelled differently.

Other masculine endings

• -el (most): le ciel, le sel, le matériel, l'hôtel, le carrousel. Exceptions: rare.
• -eur (when naming people doing actions): le chanteur, le danseur, le vendeur, l'acteur. Note: abstract -eur nouns are typically feminine — see the feminine endings section below.
• -if: le motif, le tarif. Few nouns; mostly adjectives.
• -in: le matin, le jardin, le vin, le chemin, le voisin. Exceptions: la fin (end), la main (hand), la faim (hunger).
• -ier: le métier, le papier, le quartier.
• -oir: le miroir, le couloir, le devoir, le savoir.
• -eau, -ou (in plurals adding -x): masculine. le bureau, le hibou.

Predictable feminine endings

Abstract -eur nouns (feminine)

A subset of -eur nouns names not a person doing an action but an abstract quality, sensation, or measurement. These are reliably feminine, in clear contrast to the agent nouns (le chanteur, le danseur) which are masculine.

• la peur — fear
• la chaleur — heat
• la couleur — color
• la fleur — flower
• la douleur — pain
• la valeur — value
• la longueur — length
• la largeur — width
• la hauteur — height
• la profondeur — depth
• la lueur — glow, glimmer
• la sueur — sweat
• l'ardeur — ardor

The test: does the -eur word name a person? If yes, masculine (chanteur, vendeur, acteur). Does it name an abstract quality or measurement? If yes, feminine (peur, valeur, hauteur). The exceptions to this clean split are few — le bonheur (happiness) and le malheur (misfortune) are notable masculine abstracts that buck the pattern, as is l'honneur (honor).

-tion, -sion (feminine)

Almost without exception, nouns ending in -tion or -sion are feminine. This is one of the most reliable rules in French.

Exceptions: le bastion (bastion), and that is essentially it for common nouns. The rule is one of the most reliable in the language. Action, situation, nation, décision, occasion, version, mission, passion, attention, intention, question, solution, transformation — all feminine.

This rule is so reliable that any new abstract noun coined in -tion or -sion will automatically be feminine. La numérisation (digitization), la robotisation — newly minted, still feminine.

-té, -ité (feminine)

Nouns ending in -té or -ité are almost always feminine. The ending often forms abstract nouns from adjectives (beau → la beauté, libre → la liberté).

Exceptions: l'été (summer — masculine), le côté (side — masculine), le pâté (pâté — masculine), le comité (committee — masculine), le traité (treaty — masculine), le député (deputy / member of parliament — masculine). These are all -té nouns where the ending is not the abstract suffix but part of the root. The abstract-noun pattern (qualité, beauté, liberté, fraternité, vérité, université) is reliably feminine.

-ie (feminine)

Nouns ending in -ie are usually feminine. The ending forms abstract nouns and field names.

Exceptions: un génie (genius), un parapluie (umbrella), un incendie (fire, blaze), un sosie (lookalike). These are common enough to memorize. The general -ie rule (feminine for abstract and field nouns: biologie, psychologie, magie, sympathie, jalousie, mélodie, partie, énergie) is otherwise reliable.

-ée (feminine)

Nouns ending in -ée are usually feminine, often denoting a duration, a quantity, or an action.

The famous -ée exceptions — masculine despite the ending:

• le musée — museum
• le lycée — high school
• le mausolée — mausoleum
• le trophée — trophy
• le pygmée — pygmy
• le scarabée — scarab beetle
• le gynécée — women's quarters (rare)
• l'apogée — apogee, peak
• le rez-de-chaussée — ground floor

The first four are common in everyday vocabulary; learners encounter le musée and le lycée very early and must memorize them as exceptions. The rest appear less frequently but are worth knowing.

-ence, -ance (feminine)

Nouns ending in -ence or -ance are reliably feminine. The ending forms abstract nouns.

Exceptions: le silence (silence — masculine). This is the single common exception, and it's a notable one. Every other -ence/-ance noun in everyday vocabulary is feminine.

-ure (feminine)

Nouns ending in -ure are reliably feminine.

Exceptions: le murmure (murmur), le mercure (mercury). These are obscure enough that learners can usually rely on the rule.

-ude (feminine)

Nouns ending in -ude are reliably feminine.

Exceptions: le prélude (prelude — musical term), l'interlude (interlude). These are both literary/musical terms and rare in everyday speech.

-ette, -elle, -aine (feminine)

Diminutive endings -ette, -elle, -aine are reliably feminine.

The diminutive pattern is mechanical: a feminine root (maison) with a diminutive suffix stays feminine. The rule extends to nationality and group nouns: la dizaine (about ten), la centaine (about a hundred), la quinzaine (about fifteen, or two weeks).

Other feminine endings

• -tte (general): la lutte, la natte. Reliable.
• -lle: la fille, la balle, la salle, la belle. Reliable.
• -ille: la famille, la fille, la quille. Reliable.
• -ade: la salade, la balade, la promenade, la limonade. Reliable.
• -esse: la richesse, la jeunesse, la tristesse. Forms abstract nouns from adjectives. Reliable.

How to use the rules: a workflow

When you encounter a French noun whose gender you don't know, follow this procedure:

1. Look at the ending. Apply the rule above. The result is your default hypothesis.
2. Check for famous exceptions. Is the noun in the -age exception list? Is it a -ée masculine? If so, override.
3. Use context. If you've heard or seen the noun used in a sentence, the article or adjective agreement may give you the gender directly.
4. If you must, default to masculine. When you have no information at all and the ending doesn't help, masculine is statistically more common (~55%) and is the default for borrowings and neologisms.
5. Verify before committing. For writing, always check a dictionary. For speech, native speakers will gently correct you and you will calibrate over time.

The key insight: this is not memorization-by-brute-force. It is memorization of a smaller set of rules and their named exceptions. A learner who knows the ending rules and the exception sets has done about 80% of the gender memorization work in French.

Common mistakes

The pattern: gender errors at the article propagate to every adjective and possessive in the noun phrase. Fix the gender at the source and everything downstream falls into place. The exception sets are small enough to memorize once and reuse for life.

Key takeaways

• French noun endings are probabilistically predictive of gender — about 80% accurate overall, 99% accurate for the strongest patterns.
• Reliable masculine endings: -age, -ment, -eau, -isme, -er, -el, -ier, -oir, -in. Memorize the famous exception sets.
• Reliable feminine endings: -tion, -sion, -té, -ité, -ie, -ée, -ence, -ance, -ure, -ude, -ette, -elle, -aine, -ade. Memorize the famous exception sets.
• The most important masculine exceptions to memorize: the six feminine -age nouns (cage, page, plage, rage, nage, image), the -eau feminines (l'eau, la peau), the -on feminines (maison, raison, saison, prison, chanson, boisson).
• The most important feminine exceptions to memorize: the -ée masculines (musée, lycée, trophée, mausolée), the -té masculines (été, côté, pâté, comité, traité), the single -ence masculine le silence.
• The workflow: apply the ending rule, override for known exceptions, default to masculine for unknown words, verify in writing.
• Endings give a strong starting hypothesis, not certainty. Always memorize the article with the noun for words whose meaning depends on gender (un livre vs une livre).