All the Sounds of the Letter C in English: /k/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/ and Silent C

The letter C is one of the strangest letters in English. It has no sound of its own: every sound it makes is borrowed from another letter or combination. Sometimes it sounds like K (cat), sometimes like S (city), sometimes like SH (ocean), sometimes like CH (church), and sometimes it is completely silent (muscle). This guide collects every sound of C in one place, with the rule behind each one, so you can look at almost any word and predict how its C is pronounced in American English.

If you already read the other posts in this series, think of this one as the map: each section links to a deeper article on that specific pattern.

1. Hard C: /k/ before a, o, u, consonants, and at the end of a word

The default sound of C is /k/. You get it whenever C is followed by a, o, u, by a consonant (l, r, t), or when C is the last letter of the word.

• Before a: cat /kæt/, car, camera, call
• Before o: cold /koʊld/, coffee, color, company
• Before u: cup /kʌp/, cut, culture, curious
• Before a consonant: clean /kliːn/, cry, act, picture
• Word-final: music /ˈmjuːzɪk/, public, traffic, picnic

The /k/ is aspirated (a small puff of air) at the start of a stressed syllable: cat, cold, cup. At the end of a word it is much softer. The full rule with dozens of examples is in our hard and soft C guide.

2. Soft C: /s/ before e, i, y

When C is followed by e, i, or y, it becomes /s/. This is the "soft C", and it works anywhere in the word, not just at the beginning.

• Before e: cent /sɛnt/, center, certain, face /feɪs/, dance /dæns/
• Before i: city /ˈsɪɾi/, circle, decide, notice /ˈnoʊɾɪs/
• Before y: cycle /ˈsaɪkəl/, cylinder, fancy, mercy

Notice that a final silent E does the same job: face, ice, place, since, office all end in /s/. This is also why the spelling changes in words like panic, panicked (the K is added to keep the C hard before E). And in American English, an S sound can only come from C when e, i, or y follows; a C before a, o, u is never /s/.

3. The SH sound /ʃ/: -cial, -cian, -cious, -cean

When a soft C is followed by an unstressed -ia, -io, -ie, -ea syllable, the /s/ + /j/ combination merges into /ʃ/ (the SH sound). The most common endings are:

• -cial: special /ˈspɛʃəl/, social, official, financial
• -cian: musician /mjuˈzɪʃən/, physician, politician, electrician
• -cious: delicious /dɪˈlɪʃəs/, precious, conscious, suspicious
• -cean, -cient: ocean /ˈoʊʃən/, ancient, efficient
• -ciate: appreciate /əˈpriːʃieɪt/, associate, negotiate

A useful test: if the C is followed by i + another vowel and that syllable is unstressed, expect /ʃ/. Compare special (SH) with specific (S) where the I is stressed.

4. The CH sound /tʃ/: church, cheese, teacher

C plus H is the normal spelling of /tʃ/, the sound at the start of chair. It appears in native English words and words borrowed a long time ago.

• Initial: church /tʃɚtʃ/, cheese /tʃiːz/, child, choose, chicken
• Middle: teacher /ˈtiːtʃɚ/, kitchen, picture (the T + U makes /tʃ/ here too)
• Final: much, rich, beach, watch

Italian loanwords use plain C for the same sound: cello /ˈtʃɛloʊ/, ciao /tʃaʊ/, cappuccino /ˌkæpəˈtʃiːnoʊ/. In Italian spelling, C before E or I is /tʃ/, and English keeps that pronunciation.

5. CH as /k/ (Greek) and /ʃ/ (French)

Here is where word origin matters. English borrowed thousands of words from Greek and French, and each language brought its own reading of CH.

Greek origin: CH = /k/

Scientific, academic, and musical vocabulary is often Greek. In those words, CH is /k/: chemistry /ˈkɛmɪstri/, chorus /ˈkɔːrəs/, architect /ˈɑːrkɪtɛkt/, stomach /ˈstʌmək/, character, chaos, echo, technology, psychology, Christmas, anchor.

French origin: CH = /ʃ/

Words that came from French more recently keep the French /ʃ/: chef /ʃɛf/, machine /məˈʃiːn/, chic /ʃiːk/, Chicago /ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/, champagne, chauffeur, brochure, parachute, mustache, Michigan.

The complete guide with tips for recognizing each group is CH: three sounds and how word origin decides.

6. CK and CC

CK is always /k/

CK appears only after a short vowel and always sounds /k/: back /bæk/, ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/, black, check, pocket, lucky. It is never /s/ and never silent. See the five spellings of the K sound for the full picture.

CC follows the hard and soft rule twice

Double C is really two C's in a row, and each one obeys the normal rule:

• Before a, o, u: both are hard, so CC = /k/: account /əˈkaʊnt/, occur /əˈkɚ/, soccer, accuse, broccoli
• Before e, i: the first is hard and the second is soft, so CC = /ks/: accent /ˈæksɛnt/, success /səkˈsɛs/, accident /ˈæksɪdənt/, accept, vaccine

Exception: cappuccino and focaccia keep the Italian /tʃ/. More in CC: accent versus account.

7. Silent C

The most common silent C is inside SC before e, i, y. The S and the soft C would both be /s/, so you only hear one: science /ˈsaɪəns/, scissors /ˈsɪzɚz/, muscle /ˈmʌsəl/, scene, scent, ascend, fascinate, discipline. Before a, o, u or a consonant, SC is /sk/: scan, score, scuba, screen.

A few individual words also hide their C: indict /ɪnˈdaɪt/, Connecticut /kəˈnɛɾɪkət/, Tucson /ˈtuːsɑːn/, yacht /jɑːt/, czar. These have to be memorized. The SC pattern is explained in depth in SC: science, scheme, and scan.

8. SCH: school, schedule, schnapps

SCH is usually /sk/ because the CH is Greek: school /skuːl/, scheme, scholar, schizophrenia. Schedule is /ˈskɛdʒuːl/ in American English (British speakers often say /ˈʃɛdjuːl/). German loanwords keep /ʃ/: schnapps /ʃnɑːps/, schmooze, Schwarzenegger. And the Yiddish schlep and schmuck are /ʃ/ too.

9. Quick decision flowchart

Read the letters right after the C and follow the steps in order:

1. Is it CK? Say /k/. Done.
2. Is it CH? Native or everyday word: /tʃ/. Science, medicine, music, Greek names: /k/. Fashion, food, French look: /ʃ/. SCH: /sk/ unless it looks German or Yiddish.
3. Is it SC + e, i, y? The C is silent; say /s/.
4. Is it CC? Before e, i: /ks/. Otherwise: /k/.
5. Is it C + i + vowel (-cial, -cian, -cious, -ciate) or -cean in an unstressed syllable? Say /ʃ/.
6. Is it C + e, i, y? Say /s/.
7. Anything else (a, o, u, consonant, word end): say /k/.

Summary table

Tips for guessing from word origin

• Long, technical words about science, medicine, or the mind (chronic, psychiatry, orchestra) are usually Greek: CH = /k/.
• Words about cooking, fashion, and elegance (cliché, chauffeur, quiche) are usually French: CH = /ʃ/.
• Short everyday words (chair, cheap, chin, church) are native: CH = /tʃ/.
• Italian food and music words (cello, ciabatta, focaccia) use C or CC before e, i as /tʃ/.

Practice: quick self-test

Say each word aloud and decide which sound the C (or CH, CC, SC) makes.

1. circus
2. chaos
3. scene
4. accuse
5. efficient
6. chauffeur
7. arcade
8. vaccine
9. schedule
10. cappuccino

Answers:

1. circus: /s/ then /k/ (soft before i, hard before u)
2. chaos: /k/ (Greek)
3. scene: silent C, /siːn/
4. accuse: /k/ (CC before u)
5. efficient: /ʃ/ (-cient)
6. chauffeur: /ʃ/ (French)
7. arcade: /k/ (before a)
8. vaccine: /ks/ (CC before i)
9. schedule: /sk/ in American English
10. cappuccino: /tʃ/ (Italian CC before i)

Ready for the next letter? Continue with all the sounds of the letter S, the letter G, and the letter D, or review the vowels with the letter E. Then drill every consonant in our consonant practice section.