In French, the letters c and g change sound depending on the vowel that follows them. Both letters have a “hard” sound and a “soft” sound, and the choice between the two is decided by whether the next letter is a, o, u, or e, i, y. French spelling also has three tools, a silent u, a silent e, and the cedilla, that override the normal rule when needed.

The two sounds of c

Before e, i or y, c is soft and sounds like an s. Before a, o or u, c is hard and sounds like a k.

Soft c, before e, i or y:

• Cent – “Hundred”
• Cerise – “Cherry”
• Cinéma – “Cinema”
• Citron – “Lemon”
• Cygne – “Swan”

Hard c, before a, o or u:

• Café – “Coffee”
• Carte – “Card” or “map”
• Corps – “Body”
• Cou – “Neck”
• Cube – “Cube”

The two sounds of g

Before e, i or y, g is soft, close to the sound of the s in the English word “measure.” Before a, o or u, g is hard, as in the English word “go.”

Soft g, before e, i or y:

• Geste – “Gesture”
• Génial – “Great” or “brilliant”
• Gilet – “Vest” or “waistcoat”
• Girafe – “Giraffe”
• Gymnase – “Gym”

Hard g, before a, o or u:

• Un gant – “A glove”
• Une gomme – “An eraser”
• Le goût – “Taste”
• Un légume – “A vegetable”

One word shows both sounds at once. Une gorge – “A throat” has a hard g at the start, before o, and a soft g at the end, before the silent e.

Adding u to keep g hard before e or i

Since g would normally turn soft before e or i, French inserts a silent u between the g and the vowel whenever a hard g sound is needed there. The u is not pronounced. In alphabetical order:

• Distinguer – “To distinguish”
• Fatigue – “Tiredness”
• Figue – “Fig”
• La guerre – “War”
• Un guide – “A guide”
• Une guitare – “A guitar”
• Longue – “Long” (feminine)
• Vague – “Wave”

Adding u to keep c hard before e

The same trick applies to c, though it is far rarer. A silent u is inserted to keep the hard k sound before e. This appears mainly in one small family of words:

• Accueillir – “To welcome”
• Cueillir – “To pick” or “to gather”
• Recueillir – “To collect”

Adding e to keep g soft before a, o or u

To keep g soft before a, o or u, French inserts a silent e between the g and the vowel. This is very common in verbs ending in -ger, whenever the ending that follows begins with a or o. In alphabetical order:

• Un bourgeon – “A bud”
• Nous mangeons – “We eat”
• Il nageait – “He was swimming”
• Une orangeade – “An orangeade”
• Un pigeon – “A pigeon”
• Un plongeon – “A dive”

Adding a cedilla to keep c soft before a, o or u

French uses the cedilla, a small hook placed under the letter (ç), to keep c soft before a, o or u. Without the cedilla, the c in these words would be read as a hard k. In alphabetical order:

• Ça – “That”
• Nous commençons – “We begin”
• Français – “French”
• Un garçon – “A boy”
• Une leçon – “A lesson”
• Un maçon – “A builder” or “a mason”
• Un reçu – “A receipt”

Examples in context

• Le garçon a mangé un citron. – “The boy ate a lemon.”
• Nous commençons la leçon à midi. – “We begin the lesson at noon.”
• Le guide a une belle guitare. – “The guide has a beautiful guitar.”
• Elle a cueilli une figue dans le jardin. – “She picked a fig in the garden.”
• Un pigeon s’est posé sur le bourgeon. – “A pigeon landed on the bud.”

Summary

• C is soft, like an s, before e, i or y, and hard, like a k, before a, o or u.
• G is soft, close to the s in “measure,” before e, i or y, and hard, as in “go,” before a, o or u.
• A silent u after g or c keeps the sound hard before e or i, as in guerre or cueillir.
• A silent e after g keeps the sound soft before a, o or u, as in mangeons or pigeon.
• A cedilla under c keeps the sound soft before a, o or u, as in garçon or français.