Explanation
C in Spanish
The letter c in Spanish is pronounced like the k in the English word kick:
The letter c in Spanish is pronounced like the s in the English word sun by speakers of Latin American Spanish:
The letter c in Spanish is pronounced like the th in the English word thing by most speakers of Castilian Spanish (the Spanish spoken in Spain):
The Canary Effect
Speakers from Andalucía(Andalusia) and las Islas Canarias(The Canary Islands), two regions of Spain, pronounce the letters c and z just like speakers from Latin America (that is, they use an s rather than a th sound). In fact, Latin American Spanish owes its pronunciation of these letters to early Spanish explorers from Andalucía and las Islas Canarias who brought their language and particular pronunciation to the Caribbean and the Americas. This spread of the Andalusian/Canary Islands accent to the New World is known as "The Canary Effect."
Z in Spanish
The letter z in Spanish is pronounced like the s in the English word sun by speakers of Latin American Spanish.
The letter z in Spanish is pronounced like the th in the English word thing by most speakers of Castilian Spanish.
Fancy Terms
Seseo- This term is used to refer to the pronunciation of the letter z and the letter c when it comes before e or i like the s in sun. Seseo is the norm for speakers of Latin American Spanish and speakers of some Spanish regions like Andalusia and The Canary Islands.
Distinción- This term is used to refer to the pronunciation of the letter z and the letter c when it comes before e or i like the th in thing. Distinción is the norm for most speakers from Spain.
Ceceo- This term is used to refer to the pronunciation of the letters c and z like the th in thing. Ceceo is used by some speakers in the northern and eastern parts of Spain.
Seseo vs. Distinción
Let's take a look at how speakers from different regions pronounce words containing c and z!
Want to learn more about Spanish pronunciation? Check out the following articles!
