K (letter): Difference between revisions
imported>Ro Thorpe |
imported>Ro Thorpe No edit summary |
||
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
==Use in English== | ==Use in English== | ||
{{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}} | {{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}} | ||
'''k''' has the sound of '''c''' in '''cát''' or '''q''' in '''quîte'''. Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]): '''Ként, kéttle, kítsch, loòk, tâke, toòk, lâke, báck, dóck, bríck, åwkward''' (* | '''k''' has the sound of '''c''' in '''cát''' or '''q''' in '''quîte'''. Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]): '''Ként, kéttle, kítsch, loòk, tâke, toòk, lâke, báck, dóck, bríck, åwkward''' (*åwquərd), '''hácker'''. | ||
('''c''' is more common for this sound at the beginning of a word, but only before back vowels '''a, o''' and '''u''': '''cátch, cóld, cúp''', as it turns into an 's' before front vowels: '''cíty''', '''cêreal''' ''food'' = '''sêrial''' ''series''; and the '''k''' sound can also be written '''ch''' as in '''chŏrd, álchemy, schoôner'''.) | ('''c''' is more common for this sound at the beginning of a word, but only before back vowels '''a, o''' and '''u''': '''cátch, cóld, cúp''', as it turns into an 's' before front vowels: '''cíty''', '''cêreal''' ''food'' = '''sêrial''' ''series''; and the '''k''' sound can also be written '''ch''' as in '''chŏrd, álchemy, schoôner'''.) | ||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
'''c''' or '''ck''' are generally used instead of '''k''' when forming clusters, with the exception of '''wóks''' etc. and of '''kl''' as in '''boòklet''', especially in '''nkl''' ('''nk''' is pronounced 'ngk': '''sínk, thínk, tánk'''): '''ánkle''' (cf. '''úncle'''), '''wínkle, ínkling, tínkle, tínkling'''. | '''c''' or '''ck''' are generally used instead of '''k''' when forming clusters, with the exception of '''wóks''' etc. and of '''kl''' as in '''boòklet''', especially in '''nkl''' ('''nk''' is pronounced 'ngk': '''sínk, thínk, tánk'''): '''ánkle''' (cf. '''úncle'''), '''wínkle, ínkling, tínkle, tínkling'''. | ||
Silent '''k''' occurs initially before n: knôw acquaint, understand (= nô negative), kneŵ acquainted (= neŵ fresh), knôwn (cf. nòne), knîght ''Sir'' (= nîght ''dark''), knít, knáck, knóck, knéll, knóll, knâve ''cad'' (= nâve ''church''). | Silent '''k''' occurs initially before '''n''': '''knôw''' ''acquaint, understand'' (= '''nô''' ''negative''), '''kneŵ''' acquainted (= neŵ fresh), knôwn (cf. nòne), knîght ''Sir'' (= nîght ''dark''), knít, knáck, knóck, knéll, knóll, knâve ''cad'' (= nâve ''church''). | ||
'''kh''' has the sound of '''ch''' in Scottish '''lóch''' in words from Arabic, Urdu &c. - although many people merely pronounce it '''k''': '''Khàn''' (*Kàn). | '''kh''' has the sound of '''ch''' in Scottish '''lóch''' in words from Arabic, Urdu &c. - although many people merely pronounce it '''k''': '''Khàn''' (*Kàn). | ||
Revision as of 20:16, 21 November 2009
K, k is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the eleventh letter of most variants, being placed after J and before L, as is the case for instance in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈkeɪ], like the girl's name Kay. It is derived from the Greek letter kappa (Κ, κ).
Use in English
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use in English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alphabetical word list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retroalphabetical list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common misspellings |
k has the sound of c in cát or q in quîte. Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English phonemes): Ként, kéttle, kítsch, loòk, tâke, toòk, lâke, báck, dóck, bríck, åwkward (*åwquərd), hácker.
(c is more common for this sound at the beginning of a word, but only before back vowels a, o and u: cátch, cóld, cúp, as it turns into an 's' before front vowels: cíty, cêreal food = sêrial series; and the k sound can also be written ch as in chŏrd, álchemy, schoôner.)
At the end of a word, k is usual after a double or long vowel, and after l, n and r: pêak, mâke, sínk, boòk, tánk, thánk, àrk, bàrk, sínk, mínk, mílk, tålk, jërk, quïrk, wörk, përk, lürk, Türk, besërk.
The l in fôlk is silent (as it is also in hālf and cālf).
Final -ke appears in pôke, tâke, câke, lîke, blôke, jûkebox, and forms many abbreviations: nûke (abbreviation of nûclear), bîke (of bîcycle), Jâke (of Jâcob).
Also: tâke, brâke car = breâk broken.
After c, k merely reinforces the hard c sound and the preceding short vowel: clóck (*clók *clóc), lúck, súck, néck, báck, thíck, blóck wood (= blóc nations), tíck clock (= tíc spasm, which has no k because it is, like blóc, from French), tíckle, crícket, wícket, tícket, níckel, ríckety, búcket. And so k is added to the ending -ic before suffixes -ing and -ed: politícking, tráfficking, frólicked, pánicked.
Thus the ck combination does not occur after long vowels - you don’t see *-êeck, *-oôck, *-orck, *-àrck etc.
And similarly, final k on its own is rare, and imported-looking, after a single vowel: trék, flák, wók.
c or ck are generally used instead of k when forming clusters, with the exception of wóks etc. and of kl as in boòklet, especially in nkl (nk is pronounced 'ngk': sínk, thínk, tánk): ánkle (cf. úncle), wínkle, ínkling, tínkle, tínkling.
Silent k occurs initially before n: knôw acquaint, understand (= nô negative), kneŵ acquainted (= neŵ fresh), knôwn (cf. nòne), knîght Sir (= nîght dark), knít, knáck, knóck, knéll, knóll, knâve cad (= nâve church).
kh has the sound of ch in Scottish lóch in words from Arabic, Urdu &c. - although many people merely pronounce it k: Khàn (*Kàn).
kk is very rare. It occurs in púkka and Dékker (= Décker, a more common name) and accidentally, with an extended k sound, in boòkkeeper.