LoginThe Letter C
In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter C. It is the third letter of the English alphabet.
'C' is the third letter in the English alphabet. It is a consonant in the English language.
Consonants are the letters that are produced by stopping the letter from flowing easily.
| Uppercase Form | C |
|---|---|
| Lowercase | c |
| Name | si (pronounced /ˈsi:/) |
| Common Sounds | /s/, /k/, /∅/, /ʃ/ |
Pie Chart of 'c' Pronunciation in American English
The Letter C: Sounds
Common Sounds
In English, the letter c mainly has four sounds:
Sound 1: /s/
c (before e, i, y) as in 'city' has the /s/ sound:
Sound 2: /k/
c before other vowels as in 'car' has the /k/ sound:
Sound 3: /∅/
'c' can be silent too:
indi
Tu
Conne
Sound 4: /ʃ/
There are also a few instances in English where 'c' can produce a /ʃ/ sound:
o
so
suffi
Tip!
The letter 'c' is pronounced as /tʃ/ primarily in words borrowed from Italian or Latin. This pronunciation is uncommon in English and generally appears only in specific loanwords:
cappu
The Letter C: Multigraphs
Letter c can sometimes be combined with other vowels or consonants to produce a different sound:
cc
'cc' before i, e, y generally represents /ks/:
a
su
co
ch
'ch' commonly has three sounds:
- /tʃ/
- /ʃ/
- /k/
1. 'c' in combination with 'h' generally represents /tʃ/:
tor
2. 'ch' also has the /ʃ/ sound in French loanwords:
ma
mousta
3. 'c' combined with 'h' also sounds /k/:
Tip!
Remember that in the word
ck
'c' in 'ck' has the sound /k/, in other words 'ck' sounds /k/:
bu
so
du
sc
'sc' has the sound /s/:
sci
'sc' in 'sci' has the /ʃ/ sound:
con
lu
con
cqu
'cq' in 'cqu' has the sound /k/:
a
a
ra
cio
'c' in 'cio' has the /ʃ/ sound:
vi
deli
The Letter C: Uses
The letter c is also:
• An abbreviation used instead of Celsius or centigrade after numbers:
• A computer programming language
• A grade or mark at universities like C+ C-
• A musical note
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