Soft c and Soft g

Two sounds for two letters

The letters c and g are tricky. Each one has two sounds! Sometimes they are hard, and sometimes they are soft. Today we learn the soft sounds.

The soft c sound

A soft c sounds just like the letter s. Listen: city sounds like sitty.

c is usually soft when it comes before e, i or y.

• ce → cent 🪙
• ci → city 🏙️
• cy → cycle 🚲

More soft c words: ice 🧊, face 😀, mice 🐭, dance 💃.

The soft g sound

A soft g sounds just like the letter j. Listen: gem sounds like jem.

g is often soft when it comes before e, i or y.

• ge → gem 💎
• gi → giraffe 🦒
• gy → gym 🤸

More soft g words: cage 🦜, giant 🦕, page 📄, magic 🪄.

The magic e, i, y rule

Here is a handy trick. When you see c or g in a word, peek at the next letter:

• Next letter is e, i or y? → the sound is usually soft.
• Next letter is a, o or u? → the sound is usually hard (cat 🐱, goat 🐐).

Try it with city. The c is before an i, so it is soft: sitty.

A little word list

Read these soft sound words out loud:

• city 🏙️
• ice 🧊
• face 😀
• gem 💎
• giraffe 🦒
• cage 🦜

Play the games below to spot the soft sounds!

Once you know soft c and soft g, keep going with consonant blends and the lovely long vowel sounds.