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Word Study · Spelling patterns
Soft c and Soft g: Words Like City, Cent, Giant and Gentle
Learn when c says /s/ and g says /j/, why words like page and ice end in e, and the exceptions such as gift and girl. Then practise reading and spelling them.
The idea
Some letters can make more than one sound. The letters c and g each have a hard sound and a soft sound, and the letter after them gives a clue.
The hard c says /k/, as in cat, cot and cup. The soft c says /s/, as in cent, city and cycle. The hard g says /g/, as in game, go and gum. The soft g says /j/, as in giant, gentle and gym.
The rule is simple: c and g are usually soft when followed by e, i or y. They are hard when followed by a, o or u. Compare cat with cent, and gate with gentle. This is a pattern, not a law: get, give, gift and girl have g before e or i, but the g is hard.
At the end of a word, a soft sound is often spelled with a silent e: ice, face, page, change. The e is not decoration. It tells the reader that c says /s/ and g says /j/. After a short vowel, the /j/ sound is often spelled -dge, as in badge, bridge and judge.
Keep the e when you add an ending that starts with a, o or u: notice becomes noticeable, and courage becomes courageous. Without the e, the c or g would turn hard. Be careful: the /j/ sound can also be spelled with j, as in jump, so use the pattern and your dictionary, not only your ears.
Word bank
cent
noun · sentsoft c (c before e): a coin worth one hundredth of a dollar
Example: The sticker costs fifty cents.
city
noun · SIT-eesoft c (c before i): a large town
Example: Toronto is a big city.
cycle
noun / verb · SY-kulsoft c (c before y): a set of events that repeat; to ride a bike. The second c is hard.
Example: The water cycle repeats again and again.
face
noun · faysssoft c (ce at the end): the front of the head
Example: She washed her face.
ice
noun · isesoft c (ce at the end): frozen water
Example: The ice on the pond is thick.
circle
noun · SER-kulsoft c (c before i): a perfectly round shape. The second c is hard.
Example: Draw a circle with a compass.
pencil
noun · PEN-sulsoft c (c before i): a tool for writing with a thin stick of graphite
Example: Sharpen your pencil before the test.
fancy
adjective · FAN-seesoft c (c before y): special or decorated, not plain
Example: They ate at a fancy restaurant.
giant
adjective / noun · JY-untsoft g (g before i): very large; a huge person in a story
Example: A giant pumpkin won the prize.
gentle
adjective · JEN-tulsoft g (g before e): soft and careful, not rough
Example: Be gentle with the kitten.
gym
noun · jimsoft g (g before y): a big room for sports and exercise
Example: We play dodgeball in the gym.
giraffe
noun · jih-RAFsoft g (g before i): a very tall African animal with a long neck
Example: The giraffe reached for leaves.
page
noun · payjsoft g (ge at the end): one side of a sheet in a book
Example: Turn to page twelve.
magic
noun / adjective · MAJ-iksoft g (g before i): tricks or powers that seem impossible. The c is hard.
Example: The magician did a magic trick.
change
verb / noun · chaynjsoft g (ge at the end): to become or make different; coins given back
Example: The leaves change colour in October.
energy
noun · EN-er-jeesoft g (g before y): the power to be active
Example: I have lots of energy after lunch.
Worked examples
Example 1 · Look at the next letter
Is the c in cent hard or soft?
- The letter after c is e.
- c before e, i or y is usually soft.
- Soft c says /s/.
Soft: cent starts with /s/.
Example 2 · Hard c
Is the c in cup hard or soft?
- The letter after c is u.
- c before a, o or u is hard.
- Hard c says /k/.
Hard: cup starts with /k/.
Example 3 · Soft g
How do you say the g in gentle?
- The letter after g is e.
- g before e, i or y is usually soft.
- Soft g says /j/.
/j/: gentle starts with the same sound as jump.
Example 4 · Why page needs its e
Why is page spelled with an e at the end?
- A g at the end of a word is usually hard, as in bag.
- The final e shows that g says /j/.
- It also makes the a say its name.
The e keeps the g soft: page, not pag.
Example 5 · Keep the e
Add -able to notice.
- Notice ends in soft c and silent e.
- -able starts with a, and c before a would be hard.
- Keep the e: notice + able = noticeable.
noticeable
Common mistakes
Why this fails: The /s/ sound in these words is spelled with c before i. Learn the pattern, because spelling with s looks right but is wrong.
Why this fails: In these words, the /j/ sound is spelled with g before e, i or y. Words that start with j, such as jump and jelly, are different words.
Why this fails: There are exceptions: get, give, gift, girl and begin say the hard /g/. Say the word aloud and check.
Why this fails: Keep the e before an ending that starts with a or o so c and g stay soft: noticeable, changeable, courageous.
Why this fails: In cycle and circle, the first c is soft and the second is hard. In magic, the g is soft and the c is hard. Check each letter.
Why this fails: After a short vowel the /j/ sound is often -dge: badge, bridge, judge. After a long vowel or a consonant, -ge is usual: page, age, orange.
Foundation
Foundation practice
Decide whether c or g is hard or soft, and spell the word.
1. In which word does the letter c say /s/, like the start of sun?
- cat
- cold
- city
- cup
2. In which word does the letter g say /j/, like the start of jump?
- goat
- gum
- gift
- gentle
3. The letter c usually says /s/ when it is followed by which letters?
- a, o or u
- e, i or y
- any vowel
- only the letter e
4. Which spelling is correct for the round shape?
- circle
- sircle
- cirkle
- surcle
5. Finish the word for the tool you write with. It has a soft c: pen___.
Practice
Practice practice
Spell soft c and soft g words, and use the e rule.
6. Which spelling is correct for the tall animal with a long neck?
- jiraffe
- girafe
- giraff
- giraffe
7. Is the c in city hard (/k/) or soft (/s/)?
- hard, like /k/
- soft, like /s/
8. Is the g in gift hard (/g/) or soft (/j/)?
- hard, like /g/
- soft, like /j/
9. Which word has a hard c and a soft g?
- cage
- city
- giant
- dance
10. Which spelling is correct?
- jentle
- gentel
- gentle
- gentil
11. Add -able to notice. Keep the e so the c stays soft: notice + able = ___.
Think
Think practice
Explain the pattern and find the exceptions.
12. Why does the word page end with e?
- Every English word must end with e
- The e shows that g says /j/; without it, pag could look like bag
- The e makes the word plural
- The e makes a second syllable
13. Which word is an exception, with g before i or e that still says the hard /g/?
- giant
- gym
- giraffe
- girl
14. Which word does NOT have a soft c?
- cent
- ice
- cold
- fancy
15. The /j/ sound at the end of a word after a short vowel is often spelled -dge. Which word fits?
- age
- badge
- page
- stage
Challenge
Challenge practice
Explain, write and correct in your own words.
16. Why do cat and city start with the same letter but sound different?
17. Write one sentence with a soft c word and one with a soft g word.
18. Correct the two spelling mistakes: “The jiant sat in a sircle on the ice.”
Answer key
- 1. city
In city, c comes before i, so it says /s/. In cat, cold and cup, c comes before a, o or u, so it says /k/. - 2. gentle
In gentle, g comes before e, so it says /j/. Goat and gum have g before o and u, which says the hard /g/. Gift is a common exception: g before i, but still hard. - 3. e, i or y
Soft c comes before e, i or y: cent, city, cycle. Before a, o or u, c is hard, as in cat, cot and cup. It is not every vowel, and it is not only e. - 4. circle
Circle starts with a soft c before i, and its second c is hard before l. The /s/ sound is spelled with c here, not s, and the /k/ sound is spelled with c, not k. - 5. pencil
Pencil = pen + cil. The c comes before i, so it says /s/. It is not spelled with an s. - 6. giraffe
Giraffe starts with a soft g before i, and it has two f’s. Starting with j is a spelling mistake, even though the sound is /j/. Girafe and giraff each drop or misplace a letter. - 7. soft, like /s/
C before i is soft, so city starts with /s/. The hard /k/ sound is for c before a, o, u or a consonant. - 8. hard, like /g/
Gift is an exception: g comes before i, but it says the hard /g/. Others are get, give and girl. Check by listening, not only by the letter. - 9. cage
In cage, c comes before a (hard /k/) and g comes before e (soft /j/). City has a soft c, giant has only a soft g, and dance has only a soft c. - 10. gentle
Gentle starts with g before e. The /j/ sound can be spelled with j, but not in this word. The ending is -tle, not -tel or -til. - 11. noticeable
Without the e, noticable would put c before a, which is the hard /k/ sound. The e before -able keeps the soft c. - 12. The e shows that g says /j/; without it, pag could look like bag
A g at the end of a word is usually hard, as in bag and dog. The e shows that g says /j/, and it also makes the a long. Many words do not end in e, plural words end in s, and page has only one syllable. - 13. girl
Girl has g before i but says the hard /g/. Giant and giraffe have g before i with the soft /j/, and gym has g before y with the soft /j/. Get, give and gift are other exceptions. - 14. cold
Cold has c before o, which is the hard /k/ sound. Cent (c before e), ice (ce at the end) and fancy (c before y) all have a soft c that says /s/. - 15. badge
In badge, the short a is followed by -dge. In age, page and stage, the vowel says its name, so only -ge is needed. - 16. In cat, c comes before a, so it is hard and says /k/. In city, c comes before i, so it is soft and says /s/.
The letter after c tells you the sound. Before e, i or y the c is soft; before a, o or u it is hard. - 17. Example: The giant stood in the middle of the city.
Check that the soft c is before e, i or y, and the soft g is before e, i or y or ends in -ge. - 18. The giant sat in a circle on the ice.
Giant starts with g, not j, and circle starts with c, not s. The sounds are /j/ and /s/, but the spelling uses g and c.