Pronunciation of C

Start first lesson

1. Lesson 1

15 questions

2. Lesson 2

17 questions

3. Lesson 3

14 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), bistec(steak)—but not before e or i

like the s in the English word sun, as in cero(zero), 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 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 English c in car or the k in kangaroo, but without any trace of aspiration. For example, you can hear this sound in the Spanish translation of car and kangaroo, carroand canguro.

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)

Please note that the letter group ch in Spanish has its own sound, which is similar to the ch in church.

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 type 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