El alfabeto español (3): la c, la k, la q y la z

The third part of the alphabet series is about the c and its neighbours, the k, the q and the z. Pilar explains when the c sounds like a k, when it sounds like a z and how the q works.

Learn the Spanish alphabet with The Spanish Sessions. Free Spanish videolessons online.

Key points

The k always sounds /k/ and is used mainly in words from other languages: koala, kárate.
The z always has the same sound: /θ/ in most of Spain and /s/ in Latin America, the Canary Islands and parts of the south.
The c sounds like k before a, o and u (casa, cosa) and like z before e and i (cerca, bici).
To write the k sound before e and i, Spanish uses qu with a silent u: queso, quince.

Frequent doubts

Why do Latin Americans say /s/ for z?

It is called seseo: in Latin America, the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia, z and c before e and i sound like s. Both pronunciations are correct.

Do I write cebra or zebra?

Cebra: before e and i Spanish normally writes c, not z. There are a few exceptions, like zigzag.

Can q go with a, o or u?

No: in Spanish it only appears in que and qui, always with a silent u.

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.

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Key points

Frequent doubts

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