Teaching the Letter C and the /c/ Sound With Phonics Activities

Learning Letter C and /c/ Sound

We will be teaching the letter C and its /c/ sound here.

C is a short letter sound that cannot be stretched. Although you’ll see its /c/ sound often times represented as "cuh", you should NOT pronounce it as /cuh/ – that is not correct. This /c/ sound is made by a quick puff of air pushed through your mouth, and the ending "uh" part should not be voiced. Please see the following video showing a 3 year old boy demonstrating the letter C /c/ sound and reading various words and a sentence.

You’ll see us write "cuh" here and there, but this is simply to make it easier to read, and it should not be pronounced as /cuh/. In certain situations (combinations), C could also represent the /s/ sound; however, we’re just going to teach the basic code and the basic /c/ sound here.

Take a look at the following sample words using the letter C and the /c/ sound.

CAT – /c/ /a/ /t/

CLAM – /c/ /l/ /a/ /m/

CANDY – /c/ /a/ /n/ /d/ /y/

Say these words with the /c/ sound to help you isolate and really hear the /c/ sound.

Learning Activity for /c/

• Prepare a print out for the letter C.
• Spend several minutes teaching the /c/ sound with the following steps.

1. Point to C and tell the child it makes the /c/ sound. Demonstrate the /c/ sound several times.
2. Ask the child to repeat after you.
3. Work with words which use the letter C.
   CAT, CAMP, CANDY, CLAP
4. Using the above words along with some random words, ask the child "does this word contain the /c/ sound?" If they child is stuck, repeat the word with emphasis on the /c/ sound.
5. Review: point to C and ask, "what sound does this make?"
6. Remember, don’t say /cuh/, but /c/.

/C/ Sound Worksheets

Below are printable worksheets for letter C and the /c/ sound. It also includes writing and coloring activities.

Related Reading

• pre-K printables
• phonics rules