Study: accented form visible with the etymological trigger. Test: bare form shown — tap to reveal. Amber cards = traps where the rule looks like it shouldn't apply, or where the accent is easily forgotten.
Session 1 · Circumflex = ghost s
A Latin, Italian, or English cognate has s right after the marked vowel — French dropped the s and put ^ on the vowel. Reverse-test: re-insert an s; if a real cognate appears, the circumflex belongs there.
foret
forêt
It. foresta · Eng. forest
hopital
hôpital
It. ospedale · Eng. hospital
pate
pâte
It. pasta · Eng. paste
cote
côte
It. costa · Eng. coast
ile
île
It. isola · Lat. insula
bete
bête
It. bestia · Eng. beast
tete
tête
It. testa · Lat. testa
fenetre
fenêtre
It. finestra · Germ. Fenster
maitre
maître
It. maestro · Eng. master
chateau
château
It. castello · Eng. castle
eveque
évêque
It. vescovo · Lat. ep[is]copus
arret
arrêt
Eng. arrest
hote
hôte
Lat. hospes · Eng. host
baton
bâton
It. bastone · Eng. baton
vetement
vêtement
Lat. vestimentum
Session 2 · é, è, or none
Closed syllable (ends in pronounced consonant or doubled consonant) → no accent. Open syllable (ends in vowel) → must accent: è if the next syllable contains a mute e, é if the next syllable is fully pronounced. Trap: muta cum liquida (br, cr, dr, gl, gr, pl, pr, tr, vr) — the cluster travels to the next syllable, leaving the previous one open and accented.
belle
belle
closed · doubled l absorbs
certain
certain
closed · -er- + consonant
mer
mer
closed · final pronounced r
pere
père
open · è before mute e
probleme
problème
open · è before mute e
modele
modèle
open · è before mute e
college
collège
open · è before mute e
verite
vérité
open · -té from Lat. -tās
preferer
préférer
open · é before full syll
legume
légume
open · é before /y/ syll
theatre
théâtre
thé-â-tre · two marks
regle
règle
muta+liq · g+l travel together
metre
mètre
muta+liq · t+r together
celebre
célèbre
è · mute e in -bre (br together)
celebrons
célébrons
same root · é before full -ons
Session 3 · Disambiguators, tréma, cedilla
Grave on a/u and circumflex on dû / sûr / mûr exist almost only to separate homographs — memorize the closed list. Tréma forces a hiatus where French would normally contract two vowels into one sound. Cedilla keeps c /s/ before a, o, u.