Here's what the dots, called diacritics, actually mean:
* Acute accent (é): This indicates that the vowel has a long "e" sound, as in "say".
* Grave accent (à, è, ù): This indicates that the vowel has a different pronunciation than the same vowel without the accent. For example, "à" has a "ah" sound, and "è" has a short "e" sound.
* Circumflex accent (â, ê, î, ô, û): This can indicate a change in pronunciation, often lengthening the vowel sound.
* Cedilla (ç): This indicates that the "c" has a "s" sound before "a", "o", or "u".
Important Note: While diacritics can affect pronunciation, they don't always indicate silence. The only real way to determine if a letter is silent in French is to know the specific word and its pronunciation.