soft c

UK/sɒft siː/US/sɔft si/

noun

In many languages, a letter "c" which is not pronounced as a velar stop (/k/, like English "k") but as a sibilant (/s/, like English "s") or an affricative (/tʃ/, like English "ch").

“In Italian, the "c" sound in "certo" as distinct from the "c" sound in "caffè".”

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Meanings

nounsoft c (plural soft cs)

plural soft cs

  1. human sciencesIn many languages, a letter "c" which is not pronounced as a velar stop (/k/, like English "k") but as a sibilant (/s/, like English "s") or an affricative (/tʃ/, like English "ch").

    In Italian, the "c" sound in "certo" as distinct from the "c" sound in "caffè".

    1 more example

    In English, the "c" sound in "cent", "central" and "circuit" as distinct from the hard c in "cat" and "cabin".

Translations

French c doux
  • c douxTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

soft c. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft%20c

MLA

“soft c.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft%20c. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soft c,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft%20c.

Source: soft c on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.