Soft C and Soft G | Mr Spelling

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SOFT CONSONANTS

The letters C and G have two sounds each. The hard sound (as in cat or gap) is the default. But when C or G is followed by E, I, or Y, it often becomes soft: C sounds like /s/ and G sounds like /j/.

Soft C and Soft G Words

SPELLING WORDS

Soft C words (say /s/)

circle cycle mice city cell race place pencil

Soft G words (say /j/)

gem giant cage gentle giraffe large magic

Spelling Word List

15 words with soft C (/s/) and soft G (/j/) sounds.

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The Soft C and G Rule

HOW IT WORKS

C + G soften before E, I, or Y

Soft C = /s/

C before E, I, or Y

CE CI CY

Soft G = /j/

G before E, I, or Y

GE GI GY

Hard C says /k/ (as in cat, cup, clip). Before E, I, or Y, C softens to /s/ (as in city, rice, cycle). Hard G says /g/ (as in gap, got, gum). Before E, I, or Y, G often softens to /j/ (as in gem, giraffe, cage). Watch out: soft G is not as reliable as soft C. Some G+E/I/Y combinations stay hard (e.g. get, give, gear).

Exceptions

WATCH OUT

Words that don't soften as expected

get, give

Even though G is followed by E or I, these words keep the hard G sound (/g/). Soft G before E, I, or Y is very common but not 100% guaranteed: especially for short common words like get, give, gear, girl, gift.

magic, logic

These end in -IC (not -ICE or -ICE). The C makes the /k/ sound here, not /s/. When C comes before a consonant or at the very end of a word (with no following vowel), it says /k/ even if the preceding vowel was I.

cat vs. cent

This pair shows the rule in action: cat has C before A, so it's hard (/k/). Cent has C before E, so it's soft (/s/). Both are correct: the following vowel decides which sound you use.

Lyrics

Soft C and Soft G: The Softening Rule Song

Are you ready to learn when C and G go soft? Here we go.

CHORUS

If you see the letter C followed by Y, I or E,
the sound of C, it may soften. It sounds like S, you see.
If you see the letter G followed by Y, I or E,
the sound of G, it may soften. It sounds like J, you see.

VERSE 1: SOFT C WORDS

circle: C I R C L E, soft C before the E.
cycle: C Y C L E, soft C before the Y.
mice: M I C E, soft C before the E.
city: C I T Y, soft C before the I.
gem: G E M, soft G before the E.
giant: G I A N T, soft G before the I.
cage: C A G E, soft G before the E.

CHORUS

If you see the letter C followed by Y, I or E,
the sound of C, it may soften. It sounds like S, you see.
If you see the letter G followed by Y, I or E,
the sound of G, it may soften. It sounds like J, you see.

Mr. Spelling. Bye-bye.