The word you most likely learned for 'hill' in French is colline. It's a great, all-purpose term, but the French language is rich with more specific vocabulary to describe the varied landscapes of France and beyond. From a gentle slope in a park to a rugged foothill, there's a word for nearly every type of incline you might encounter. If you're planning a trip, describing a landscape, or just want to make your French sound more natural and precise, expanding your vocabulary is key. Let’s explore nine different ways to talk about hills in French!

1. The standard 'hill' – une colline

The standard and most direct word for 'hill' in French is une colline.

Une colline is the most common and straightforward French word for a 'hill.' It refers to a naturally raised area of land, smaller and less steep than a mountain.

This is a feminine noun. Therefore, you always use feminine articles with it:

• une colline: a hill
• la colline: the hill
• des collines: hills (plural)
• les collines: the hills (plural)

You can use colline for any typical hill, whether it's the rolling hills of the countryside (les collines de la campagne) or a specific hill overlooking a city, like Montmartre in Paris, which is often referred to as la colline de Montmartre.

The main distinction is with une montagne (a mountain). A colline is generally lower, has a more rounded top, and is easier to climb. If you're hiking and it's a significant, rugged ascent, it's a montagne; if it's a pleasant, elevated walk, it's a colline.

The concept of collines is deeply embedded in the French landscape and imagination, often associated with picturesque villages, vineyards (especially in regions like Burgundy and Champagne), and scenic beauty.

💡 * Nous avons fait une randonnée sur la colline derrière la maison. (We went for a hike on the hill behind the house.)

• Le château est construit au sommet d'une colline. (The castle is built on top of a hill.)
• De la colline, on a une vue magnifique sur la vallée. (From the hill, you have a magnificent view of the valley.)
• La France est un pays de plaines et de collines. (France is a country of plains and hills.)

The 'mound' or 'knoll' – un tertre

Venturing into more descriptive and literary French, we find the word un tertre, which translates to a 'mound' or 'knoll'.

Un tertre specifically refers to a small, isolated hillock or mound of earth. Unlike a general colline (hill), a tertre is often a distinct, singular feature in a landscape, sometimes man-made, like an ancient burial mound.

You are far more likely to encounter un tertre in literature, historical accounts, or poetic descriptions of landscapes than in everyday conversation. It carries a slightly formal, sometimes ancient or pastoral connotation.

To visualize it, picture a single grassy knoll in the middle of a flat field, a small rise where a monument might be placed, or the elevated ground upon which a solitary tree grows. This specificity is what distinguishes it from other words for hills.

While you may not use it daily, knowing un tertre is key to understanding nuanced descriptions in French texts and appreciating the richness of the language's geographical vocabulary.

💡 * Un chêne solitaire se dressait au sommet du tertre. (A solitary oak tree stood on top of the knoll.)

• Les archéologues étudient un ancien tertre funéraire. (The archaeologists are studying an ancient burial mound.)
• Il s'est assis sur le tertre pour regarder le coucher du soleil. (He sat on the mound to watch the sunset.)
• La chapelle fut construite sur un tertre dominant la vallée. (The chapel was built on a mound overlooking the valley.)

The 'slope' or 'incline' on a hill – une côte

Let's tackle a common geographical term you'll encounter when talking about landscapes, driving, or cycling in France: une côte.

Une côte directly translates to a 'slope', 'incline', or 'hill'. It refers specifically to the upward or downward slant of a piece of ground, particularly a road.

It's important to remember that côte is a feminine noun. Therefore, you will always see it preceded by feminine articles like une (a) or la (the).

You'll frequently hear this word in contexts involving physical effort. Common phrases include monter une côte (to go up a hill) or descendre une côte (to go down a hill). It’s a key vocabulary word for anyone discussing cycling, hiking, or even driving in hilly regions.

Be aware of context! Côte is a homonym with a few other meanings. It can also mean 'rib' (as in côte de porc - pork rib) or 'coast' (as in la Côte d'Azur - the French Riviera). The surrounding words will almost always make the intended meaning clear.

💡 * Le cycliste monte la côte avec difficulté.

• Cette rue est une côte très raide.
• Il faut freiner en descendant la côte.
• Nous nous sommes arrêtés en haut de la côte pour admirer la vue.

1. The 'hillock', especially in a city – une butte

Une butte is a feminine noun that translates to a 'hillock,' 'knoll,' or 'mound.' It refers to a small, often isolated hill.

While a larger, more natural hill is often called une colline, une butte is frequently used to describe a hill within a city or town. This can be a natural geographical feature or even a man-made mound.

A perfect and famous example is the Butte Montmartre in Paris, the prominent hill in the 18th arrondissement where the Sacré-Cœur Basilica stands. This specific context helps solidify its meaning as an urban hill.

💡 * La Butte Montmartre offre une vue incroyable sur Paris.

• Nous allons nous promener sur la butte cet après-midi.
• Il y a une petite butte au milieu du parc où les enfants jouent.
• Le vieux château a été construit au sommet de la butte.

The very small 'hill' or 'mound' – un monticule

To describe a very small hill or a mound, French speakers use the word un monticule.

Un monticule translates directly to 'mound,' 'small hill,' or 'hillock.' It refers to any small, rounded elevation of earth, sand, or other material, like an anthill.

The word's origin helps in remembering it: it comes from mont (mountain) with the diminutive suffix -icule, literally meaning a 'tiny mountain.' This makes it distinct from a larger colline (hill).

It's important to remember that monticule is a masculine noun. You will always see it preceded by masculine articles like un or le, for example, le monticule de terre (the mound of earth).

This is a standard French word, not slang, and can be used in various contexts, from describing a landscape feature to a simple pile of objects. It's a versatile and descriptive term.

💡 * Attention, ne marche pas sur ce monticule de fourmis !

• Le jardinier a fait un petit monticule de terre pour planter la fleur.
• Il y avait un monticule de livres sur son bureau.
• Les enfants s'amusaient à sauter par-dessus les monticules de sable sur la plage.

The 'height' or 'high ground' – une hauteur

In French, une hauteur is the go-to noun for 'height.' It primarily refers to the vertical dimension of an object, the elevation of a location, or a high place itself.

You use une hauteur to describe the physical height of inanimate objects like buildings, mountains, or walls. For example, La hauteur de la tour est de 100 mètres (The height of the tower is 100 meters). It can also literally mean 'high ground' or an 'eminence,' as in Ils ont observé la vallée depuis une hauteur (They observed the valley from a height).

One of the most important uses of hauteur is in the figurative expression être à la hauteur (de quelque chose). This means 'to be up to the task,' 'to be equal to the challenge,' or 'to live up to expectations.' It's an essential phrase for expressing capability and competence.

Be careful not to confuse une hauteur with la taille. While both relate to height, la taille is used exclusively for the height of people. You would say Quelle est ta taille ? (What is your height?), not Quelle est ta hauteur ?.

💡 * La hauteur sous plafond est impressionnante dans cet appartement.

• Nous devons être à la hauteur pour ce projet important.
• Depuis cette hauteur, la vue sur la ville est magnifique.
• Le meuble a une hauteur de deux mètres.

The 'mountainside' or 'slope' of a hill – un versant

The French noun un versant translates to the 'slope', 'side', or 'mountainside' of a hill or mountain. It's a precise term often used in geography to describe one of the faces of a large landform.

Versant is a masculine noun. Therefore, you always use the masculine articles un or le with it. For example, you would say le versant nord for 'the northern slope' or un versant ensoleillé for 'a sunny slope'.

Beyond its literal geographical meaning, versant can be used figuratively to refer to an 'aspect' or 'side' of a problem, a situation, or a person's character. In this context, it is similar to the English words 'facet' or 'side'.

💡 * Le chalet est construit sur le versant sud de la montagne. (The cabin is built on the southern slope of the mountain.)

• Ce versant de la colline est très difficile à escalader. (This side of the hill is very difficult to climb.)
• Il faut examiner l'autre versant du problème. (We must examine the other side of the problem.)
• La randonnée nous a menés sur un versant couvert de forêts. (The hike took us over a forest-covered slope.)

The 'small mountain' or 'mount' – un mont

The masculine noun un mont translates to 'a mount' or 'a small mountain.' It's a more literary and specific term compared to the common word for mountain.

Think of un mont as the direct equivalent of the English word 'mount.' It often implies a smaller or more rounded peak than une montagne, or is used in a more poetic or geographical context.

The most common use of mont in modern French is in proper names of mountains and famous places. For example, le mont Blanc (Mont Blanc) and le mont Saint-Michel are world-famous landmarks.

While une montagne is the everyday word for 'mountain,' un mont is reserved for specific contexts. You would say, "Nous allons skier dans les montagnes" (We are going skiing in the mountains), not "dans les monts."

💡 * Le mont Blanc est le plus haut sommet d'Europe occidentale.

• Nous avons fait une randonnée jusqu'au sommet du mont.
• Le mont Saint-Michel est une célèbre abbaye en Normandie.
• De nombreux artistes ont peint le mont Sainte-Victoire.

The geographical 'elevation' – une élévation

In a geographical or scientific context, the French word for 'elevation' is une élévation. This term refers to a raised area of land or the height of a geographical feature. As a direct cognate, it's easy to recognize, but its usage is typically more formal or technical than its English counterpart.

You will most often encounter une élévation in technical fields like geography, geology, and cartography. In everyday French conversation, people are more likely to use specific words like une colline (a hill) or une montagne (a mountain) to describe raised landforms.

It's crucial not to confuse une élévation with l'altitude (feminine). While une élévation describes the physical raised landform itself, l'altitude refers specifically to the measurement of its height, usually relative to sea level. For instance, a mountain is une élévation, and its summit has an altitude of 4,808 meters.

💡 * La carte topographique montre une élévation soudaine du terrain. (The topographic map shows a sudden elevation in the terrain.)

• Cette région est connue pour son élévation progressive vers les montagnes. (This region is known for its gradual elevation towards the mountains.)
• Les géologues étudient la formation de cette élévation rocheuse. (Geologists are studying the formation of this rocky elevation.)

Are there other ways to say 'hill' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'hill' in French?

Our list features the most common words for 'hill' in French, such as colline and butte. But French, with its diverse geography, has many other terms, from specific geological words to poetic or regional descriptions for a rise in the landscape.

You can also do an online search for a phrase like “vocabulaire du relief en ___” followed by a specific region known for its hills, like Provence or Bourgogne, to find local terminology.

You might find some fascinating synonyms for colline this way, such as coteau (a slope, often for vineyards) or tertre (a mound or knoll). As always, be sure to check a word’s specific definition and see it used in context before trying it yourself.

Pay attention as you read French literature, especially authors who write about nature, or as you watch French films set in the countryside. You'll discover the rich and nuanced ways the French describe their landscapes.

And if you’re looking for more technical or related geographical terms, the French dictionary Le Robert or a thesaurus (dictionnaire des synonymes) can be excellent resources for exploring words related to colline.

I hope this article has helped you reach the summit of understanding. To conclude, here is a lovely quote from French writer Jean Giono, who beautifully captured the landscapes of Provence: La colline, c'est comme une grosse bête endormie. (The hill is like a big sleeping beast.)