C, K or CK? The Rule for the /k/ Sound

Q: C, K or CK? The Rule for the /k/ Sound

All three make the same /k/ sound! • Use c before a, o, u (cat, cot, cup). • Use k before e and i (kite, key). • Right after a short vowel at the end → it is ck (du-ck).

English has three spellings for a single /k/ sound. Fortunately, unlike many spelling choices, this one follows a rule that actually holds.

The rule

C likes a,o,u… K likes e,i… CK ends the word after a short vowel!

All three make the same /k/ sound!

• Use c before a, o, u (cat, cot, cup).

• Use k before e and i (kite, key).

• Right after a short vowel at the end → it is ck (du-ck).

36 words, sorted — tap any word to hear it

🐱 c+ a, o, u · 12 words

🪁 k+ e, i · 10 words

🦆 ckends the word · 14 words

What’s in the app

The rest of the path lives in Kids English Learning

This page is the reference; the app is where a child does the reading — levels 1–3 are free to try.

🎧Every word, not a sampleOver 1,700 words across all 28 levels, each one recorded by a person — not the handful shown here.
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