The Letter C (English Alphabet)
The letter C is the third letter in The English Alphabet. It is also the second Consonant in The English Alphabet.
As with every letter in The English Alphabet, The Letter C has two versions in the written form.
These two versions are called: The Upper-Case and The Lower-Case.
The Upper-Case C looks like this:
C
The Lower-Case C looks like this:
c
Notice that the only difference between The Upper-Case and The Lower-Case C is the size. The Lower-Case C is just a bit smaller. You will find that this is the same for quite a few letters in The Alphabet.
Pronunciation
The letter C has two pronunciations in The English Language, called, the Hard C, and the Soft C.
The Hard C is pronounced like The Letter K, and the Soft C is pronounced like The Letter S.
How Do I Know When To Use The Hard C Or The Soft C?
We use the Hard Pronunciation when it comes before The Letter A, The Letter O, or The Letter U
The Hard C
- Cat
- Cow
- Car
- Cup
- Cookie
We use the Soft Pronunciation when it comes before The Letter E, The Letter I, or The Letter Y.
The Soft C
- Cinnamon
- Celery
- Census
- Cellar
- Censorship
The Third Pronunciation
There is a third pronunciation of The letter C.
When combined with The letter H (like this: Ch, ch) the two letters, together, have a different sound.
The Ch Combination
- Chair
- Chocolate
- Chimes
- Cherry
- Charm
Next Lesson – Letter D
Following Lesson – Letter E
Teacher I wanna know the difference bwn hard C and soft C, pls?
Hi eL!
Thank you for your comment.
That’s a really good question. As you may notice with the samples above, the soft C has a sound like the letter S. The hard C has a sound like the letter K.
I hope that helps you.
I will be adding sound files to all of these pages very soon so that you will be able to hear the examples. That way you will know exactly how the letters and words are pronounced.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so that you will be informed of all the updates as they happen.
Have a Great Day!
-The Teacher
Thanks Teacher, but I wanna know something more: How to say if it’s soft C or hard C, is there any rule?
I have updated the lesson above to include what you were asking about with the pronunciation of the Letter C,c – I hope it helps.
As for a rule of when you pronounce it with the Soft pronunciation…
If the “C” is followed by the letters, “a”, “o”, or “u”, it is usually a “Hard C” as in:
Cat, Cow, or Cut
If the “C” is followed by the letters, “e”, “i”, or “y”, it is usually a “Soft C”
Celery, Cinnamon, or Lacy
Thanks for your questions. And thanks for helping to make this lesson better!
Let me know if there is anything else you need.
-The Teacher
Thx Teacher this helps a lot. Keep up!