Phonics: Hard and Soft "C" and "G"

Look at the giraffe. Now look at the goat.

Both words begin with the letter g, but the beginning sounds don’t sound the same.

“g” Giraffe
“g” Goat

You call the “g” sound in giraffe a soft sound.

You call the “g” sound in goat a hard sound.

Look at the gingerbread man in the garden.

The word garden has a hard g.

The word gingerbread man has a soft g.

The letter “c” has a hard sound and a soft sound.

Look at the “cat”
The “c” in cat has a hard sound.

Now look at the “circle”
The “c” in the circle has a soft sound.

The soft “c” sound like “s.”

You can also hear the hard and soft g and c in other parts of the word.

Look at the leg. The hard g is at the end of the word.

Look at the ice. The soft c is in the middle of the word.

Look at the word recycle. You hear a soft “c” and a hard “c.”

How do you know when the “c” or “g” is hard or when the “c” or “g” is soft?

Well, when a, o, or u, comes after c or g, the sound is hard.

“cap,” “coat,” “cup”

How do you know when the “c” or “g” is hard or when the “c” or “g” is soft?

Well, when e, i, or y, comes after c or g, the sound is soft.

“center,” “circle,” “cycle”