CHAPTER 15

Combinations Using c

The letter c is one of the most interesting letters in the alphabet. It has often been denounced as a useless

letter that imitates s or k. However, when we look at it more closely, we find that it is not only one of the
most often used letters, but it is also used in numerous quite fascinating ways.
The Anglo-Saxons pronounced it like a k, but, following the Norman French invasion and the later
influx of countless Greek and Latin words, along with host of other foreign words, it began to acquire the
extraordinary complexity that it now has. When the c has the k sound, the word is probably Anglo-Saxon
in origin. When it has the s sound, it is probably French or Latin and arrived during the Renaissance.
Centuries of usage have, however, caused quite a tangle. The c rules are not absolute.
When the c is followed by h, we usually expect the digraph sound produced by ch:

(^) But the ch may have the sh sound. These are mainly French words:
(^) And sometimes the ch may have the k sound. These are often Greek words:
(^) Note that the only word to have a double c before the h is saccharin.
When followed by k in one-syllable words with a short-vowel, the c becomes silent:
(^) Note that no commonly used English words begin with ck.
When the c is followed by t, it may sometimes be silent.
(^) When a ci or ce combination, appears, it may have the sh sound:
(^) When the ce combination has the ch sound, the word is usually of Italian origin:
(^) Note also that the k is rarely used before l or r, but it may be used before le.
(^) Again, there are a few exceptions, but they are also mainly exotic imports:
(^) The k has to be used instead of c when a k sound is needed before the letters e, i and y:
(^) When a word needs a silent e at the end but also needs the hard k sound, the c cannot be used. We must
use a k: