Identifying the gender of nouns by some specific word endings in French

Knowing the gender of French nouns is one of the hardest things for English students.  
Fortunately, we have some tips for you!
Note that they don't work 100% of the time (That would be too easy!), but it is as close you can get to a rule.  

Learn how to identify the gender of nouns in French

1- Nouns ending with an -e are mostly feminine

This is not an absolute rule, but we can consider that easily 75% of words ending in -e are feminine.
Masculine words less often end in -e.

ATTENTION: 
-é, -ê, or -è are NOT considered as -e, but as a different letter, therefore don't necessarily follow that rule!

Now let's look at endings that don't match that first rule: you can easily remember them! 

 

2- However -age, -ège and -isme endings tend to be MASCULINE

-age 

Here note that the words following that rule all have -age as an ending to an existing word.
 
Ils se marient : je vais au mariage.They're getting married: I'm going to the wedding.
 
Les feuilles sont orange : c'est le feuillage d'automne.The leaves are orange: it's autumn foliage.
 
Dans ce pays, il y a un beau paysage.In this country, there is a beautiful landscape.
 
Quand tu colles des morceaux de papier ensemble, tu fais un beau collage.When you stick bits of paper together, you make a nice collage.
 
Whereas all the exceptions are very short words, where -age is not an extra ending:
une cage, une image, la nage (swimming), une page, la plage (beach), la rage ...
 

-ège

un manègea carousel
 
le collègethe secondary school 
 
un privilègea privilege
 
 
Exception: la Norvège (Norway)
 

-isme

le RomantismeRomanticism
 
le capitalismeCapitalism
 
le CubismeCubism
 
 

3- Nouns that don't end in -e are usually masculine

Again, this is not an absolute rule, but we can consider that easily 80% of words ending in consonants are masculine. Moreover, endings in -é are also mostly masculine. 
Feminine words less often end in consonants or -é.

Now let's look at endings that don't match that first rule: you can easily remember them! 

 

4- However, these exceptions that don't end in -e tend to be FEMININE

-tion, -sion, -ssion

la nationthe nation
 
la punitionthe punishment
 
une évasionan escape
 
la précisionprecision
 
une émission de téléa tv show
 
une impressionan impression
 
Exception: un bastion
 

-son

la maisonthe house
 
une conjugaisona conjugation
 
une saisona season
 
une chansona song
 
Exceptions: un poison, un pinson (type of bird), un vison (mink), un bison, un blouson ...
 

-té, -tié

la liberFreedom
 
la beauthe beauty
 
la communauthe community
 
une amitiéa friendship
 
la pitiéthe pity
 
Exceptions with -té: un député, un aparté, un côté (side), un été (summer), un pâté, le karaté, un traité (treaty), un comté (county), un comité ...
 

Abstract nouns in -eur 

la chaleurthe heat
 
la lenteurSlowness
 
la blancheurthe whiteness
 
la noirceurthe darkness
 
Exceptions: le bonheur (happiness), le malheur (misery), un honneur...
and all the non-abstract nouns in -eur: un ascenseur (elevator), un aspirateur (a vacuum cleaner), un chanteur (a singer)...

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Examples and resources

Quand tu colles des morceaux de papier ensemble, tu fais un beau collage.When you stick bits of paper together, you make a nice collage.
la pitiéthe pity
une émission de téléa tv show
une rougeura redness
le capitalismeCapitalism
la punitionthe punishment
la blancheurthe whiteness
le CubismeCubism
la communauthe community
un manègea carousel
un stratègea strategist
une amitiéa friendship
la fureurthe fury
le socialismeSocialism
la noirceurthe darkness
un piègea trap
la maisonthe house
une évasionan escape
une saisona season
la beauthe beauty
la liberFreedom
la chaleurthe heat
Dans ce pays, il y a un beau paysage.In this country, there is a beautiful landscape.
le collègethe secondary school 
une possibilia possibility
la lenteurSlowness
un privilègea privilege
un siègea seat / a siege
une conjugaisona conjugation
Les feuilles sont orange : c'est le feuillage d'automne.The leaves are orange: it's autumn foliage.
une chansona song
Ils se marient : je vais au mariage.They're getting married: I'm going to the wedding.
la guérisonthe healing
la précisionprecision
la comparaisonthe comparison
une impressionan impression

-isme (masculine)


le RomantismeRomanticism

-tion (feminine)


la nationthe nation
I'll be right with you...