Every French noun is either masculine or feminine — and that gender affects the article, every adjective, and every pronoun that refers to it. The good news is that most French noun genders follow predictable suffix patterns. Learn these 15 endings and you will correctly identify the gender of thousands of nouns without memorising each one individually.
Masculine Suffixes: What Endings Signal Le?
These word endings are reliably masculine (le / un). Exceptions exist, but the rule holds for the large majority of nouns you will encounter at A2–C1 level.
Feminine Suffixes: What Endings Signal La?
These endings reliably signal a feminine noun (la / une). The -tion/-sion and -ité endings are among the most consistent rules in the entire language.
How Reliable Are the Suffix Rules?
The suffix rules are not 100% accurate — French is a language, not a spreadsheet — but they are reliable enough to make educated guesses that are correct 85–90% of the time. In a writing exam where you cannot consult a dictionary, that is a significant advantage.
The four most dependable rules, covering hundreds of the most common nouns:
If you have limited time before your exam, start with these four. They cover the most frequently used nouns in French writing tasks at every level from A2 to C1.
The Exceptions Worth Memorising Individually
A small set of nouns deceive even advanced learners because their ending suggests the opposite gender. These are worth learning by name rather than by rule.
Two Rules That Cover the Majority of Cases
If you are short on preparation time, prioritise these two rules — they apply to hundreds of the most common French nouns and are virtually exception-free:
Together, these two suffixes cover a significant portion of the abstract nouns that appear in TCF, DELF, and DALF writing tasks. Knowing them cold eliminates a whole category of gender errors before your exam.
How to Look Up Any French Noun's Gender Instantly
Suffix rules give you an educated guess. For anything you are not certain about — especially before committing it to an exam response — verify it first.
The French Gender Checker covers more than 40,000 nouns and returns the definite article (le / la / l'), the indefinite article (un / une), the plural form, and the suffix rule behind the gender in one lookup. Use it during practice sessions so you learn each noun's gender in context — seeing la décision paired with the rule "-tion → feminine" each time you look it up is what makes the pattern stick permanently.
