Travel and Adventure
Soft and hard 'c'
Learn when the letter c sounds soft and when it sounds hard.
Small differences in pronunciation can change a word completely. The letter C has two sounds:
- cat: c sounds like /k/
- city: c sounds like /s/
Which one you get isn't luck; it depends on the next letter!
Soft C (/s/): when c is followed by e, i or y.
- cell (e), city (i), cycle (y)
Hard C (/k/): when c is followed by a, o, u, or a consonant, or comes at the end of a word.
- cat (a), cot (o), cut (u), clean (l)
So in the poem, cinders starts with an /s/ sound, because the c is followed by i. Know the rule, and you never have to guess!
Sort the book's words:
| Soft /s/ | Hard /k/ |
|---|---|
| cell (e), cinders (i), race (e), decide (i), receive (e) | cable (a), cake (a), echo (h), uncle (l) |
Some words have both! Check each c separately:
- circle: first c before i = soft; second c before l = hard ("SIR-kle")
- concert: first c before o = hard; second c before e = soft
- bicycle: c before y = soft; c before l = hard
The rule works letter by letter, not word by word. You don't need to remember every word; just look at the letter after the c!
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