Pronunciation of Ch and C

Start first lesson

1. Lesson 1

15 questions

2. Lesson 2

15 questions

3. Lesson 3

13 questions

Explanation

Quick Answer

The letter c in Spanish can be pronounced various ways:

like the k in the English word kick, as in cama(bed), eco(echo), or bistec(steak)—but not before e or i

like the s in the English word sun, as in cero(zero) or vecino(neighbor)—only before e or i (in Latin America, the Canaries, and southern Spain)

like the th in the English word thing—only before e or i (in central and northern Spain)

The letters ch in Spanish are pronounced like the ch you hear in English words like cheese and march!

The Sounds of the Letter C

C Is a Consonant

The letter c represents the Spanish consonant sounds, or phonemes, /k/, /s/, and /θ/. When a consonant sound is uttered, the flow of air out of the mouth is partially or completely blocked at some point.

The name of this letter is pronounced ce.

How to Pronounce C in Spanish

Pronunciation 1

The first way to pronounce c in Spanish is like the English c in car or the k in kangaroo, but without any trace of aspiration. For example, you can hear this sound in carro(car) and canguro(kangaroo).

Remember that aspiration is the sound of air being exhaled after certain letters.

Tongue Position in Mouth

This sound of the Spanish c is velar, which means it is pronounced by pressing the back of the tongue against the soft palate to stop the flow of air completely for an instant. Then the air is let out abruptly.

Additionally, the vocal cords do not vibrate when uttering this c, so linguists classify it as voiceless, or sordain Spanish.

When Do You Pronounce C Like This?

This sound of the letter c is used:

before the letter a, as in capitán(captain) or boca(mouth)
before the letter o, as in comer(eat) or abanico(fan)
before the letter u, as in cubrir(to cover) or acusar(accuse)
before any consonant (including c), as in clase(class), cruz(cross), or dirección(address)
at the end of a word, as in aeróbic(aerobics)

Where Can I Hear C Pronounced This Way?

This pronunciation of c is used both in Latin American and European Spanish.

Pronunciation 2

The second way to pronounce c is very similar to the English c in center or the s in sentence. Compare the pronunciation of c in center and sentence with the sound of c in their Spanish translations (please select the Latin American pronunciation option): centroand oración.

Tongue Position in Mouth

The second pronunciation of the Spanish c is alveolar, which means it is pronounced by touching—or almost touching—the gum ridge with the tongue, leaving a narrow opening to let the air out and make a hissing sound.

Additionally, the vocal cords do not vibrate when uttering this c, so linguists classify it as voiceless, or sordain Spanish.

When Do You Pronounce C Like This?

This sound of the letter c is used only:

before the letter e, as in cena(dinner), hacer(do, make), or catorce(fourteen) (please select the Latin American pronunciation option)
before the letter i, as in cinco(five), bocina(horn), or bici(bike) (please select the Latin American pronunciation option)

Where Can I Hear C Pronounced This Way?

This pronunciation of c is used in Latin American countries and two large parts of Spain: the Canary Islands—in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the African coast—and Andalusia, in southern mainland Spain.

Pronunciation 3

The third way to pronounce c is very similar to the English th in birth. Compare the sound of the th in the English word birth with the sound of c in its translation (please select the Spain pronunciation option): nacimiento.

Tongue Position in Mouth

The third sound of the Spanish c is interdental, which means it is pronounced with the tongue between the teeth, leaving a narrow opening to let the air out and make a buzzing sound.

Additionally, the vocal cords do not vibrate when uttering this c, so linguists classify it as voiceless, or sordain Spanish.

When Do You Pronounce C Like This?

This sound of the letter c is used only:

before the letter e, as in cena(dinner), hacer(do, make), or catorce(fourteen) (please select the Spain pronunciation option)
before the letter i, as in cinco(five), bocina(horn), or bici(bike) (please select the Spain pronunciation option)

Where Can I Hear C Pronounced This Way?

This pronunciation of c is only used in central and northern mainland Spain, as well as on the Balearic Islands.

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."

Examples

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letter c, with their different pronunciation types and corresponding English sounds, in different word positions and letter combinations. Please note that to hear types 2 and 3, you must select the Latin American or Spain pronunciation options.

Spanish	English	Pronunciation Type and Equivalent	Phoneme	Position	Combination
cama	bed	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	beginning of word	before a
recado	message	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	inside word	before a
roca	rock	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	end of word	before a
copa	glass	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	beginning of word	before o
rencor	resentment	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	inside word	before o
loco	crazy	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	end of word	before o
cubo	bucket	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	beginning of word	before u
escudo	shield	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	inside word	before u
cucú	cuckoo	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	end of word	before u
crudo	raw	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	beginning of word	before consonant
anécdota	anecdote	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	inside word	before consonant
acción	action	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	inside word	before c
pícnic	picnic	Type 1 (like English k)	/k/	end of word	---
cerro	hill	Type 2-3 (like English s-th)	/s/-/θ/	beginning of word	before e
pecera	fishbowl	Type 2-3 (like English s-th)	/s/-/θ/	inside word	before e
trece	thirteen	Type 2-3 (like English s-th)	/s/-/θ/	end of word	before e
cielo	sky	Type 2-3 (like English s-th)	/s/-/θ/	beginning of word	before i
cocinera	cook	Type 2-3 (like English s-th)	/s/-/θ/	inside word	before i
UCI	ICU	Type 2-3 (like English s-th)	/s/-/θ/	end of word	before I

The Sound of the Letters Ch

The letters ch represent the Spanish consonant sound, or phoneme, /ch/. The name of these letters is pronounced che.

How to Pronounce Ch in Spanish

The sound of the Spanish ch is pronounced by placing the tip of the tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth. To produce the sound, press the tongue against the alveolar ridge and then release it quickly, forcing air to be expelled from your mouth. The movement is a quick, sharp release which creates a characteristic ch sound.

Is the Spanish Ch Similar to the English Ch?

Yes, it's basically the same as the English ch in words such as cheese or march! Compare, for example, the ch sound in the English word church and the ch sound in the Spanish word leche.

Examples

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letters ch in different places in Spanish words.

Spanish	English	Where It's Found
chico	boy	beginning of word
chaqueta	jacket	beginning of word
chispa	spark	beginning of word
chiste	joke	beginning of word
chapotear	to splash	beginning of word
chuleta	chop	beginning of word
charla	talk	beginning of word
champú	shampoo	beginning of word
charco	puddle	beginning of word
churro	churro	beginning of word
leche	milk	between vowels
cuchara	spoon	between vowels
pechuga	breast	between vowels
lechuga	lettuce	between vowels
sándwich	sandwich	end of word

Now let's take a look at some sentences that contain ch and c in Spanish!

Spanish	English
Chus contó los peces en la pecera.	Chus counted the fish in the fish tank.
La chica chapoteó en el charco.	The girl splashed in the puddle.
Charly comió chuleta de cerdo.	Charly ate a pork chop.
El chico de la chaqueta azul se llama Nacho.	The boy in the blue jacket is called Nacho.
Chema lanzó la cometa al cielo.	Chema launched the kite into the sky.
Charo comió pechuga de pollo.	Charo ate chicken breast.
César cortó lechuga para el sándwich.	Cesar cut lettuce for the sandwich.
La charla fue sobre el corazón.	The talk was about the heart.
A Carla le encanta la ciencia.	Carla loves science.
A Carol le gustan los dulces, como los churros.	Carol loves sweets, especially churros.
Se tomó la leche con una cuchara.	He drank the milk with a spoon.
Lavó el carro y la bicicleta con un cubo de agua.	He washed the car and the bicycle with a bucket of water.
Me cayó el champú por la cara y el cuello.	The shampoo dripped down my face and neck.