C c — ce
«ce» is a consonant of Basque, the “Basque Latin alphabet” script, read as “k in loanwords only: camera”. Native words never use c: camera, keto — all borrowings. For example, in the word “kamera” — camera. The Basque alphabet has 32 letters in total. The real Basque "k" is the letter k. It appears, for example, in the word “planchatu” — iron (clothes).
In short
| Character | C c |
| Name | ce |
| Sound | k in loanwords only: camera |
| What it is | a consonant |
In our course the character comes 3rd of 32: the order here is not alphabetical but from familiar to unfamiliar, its neighbours in the course are b and d, appears in 6 words of this site.
How it sounds
Native words never use c: camera, keto — all borrowings
The character in a word
A lone character is hard to remember: memory holds on to meaning, and a letter has none. The word it stands in provides that anchor.
- kameracamera
The character in the “for foreign words” group
Five letters native words never use: camera, kiwi, video, wifi, yoga. You need them only to read a sign with a borrowing on it.
Words with this character
How to remember this character
A single letter is the hardest thing to remember: memory has nothing to hold on to — a character has no meaning. A three-step loop works: see the character, try to recall the sound (for «ce» it is “k in loanwords only: camera”, as in the word “kamera”), see the right answer.
And come back to it the next day, not in an hour: a check a day or two later beats a check the same day. Nobody holds the whole alphabet — 32 letters — at once.
- It is better to test yourself the next day than at the end of the same session. That is why a word comes back to you tomorrow.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · g = 0.82 when tested a day or two later, against 0.56 on the same day.
- Studying a little every day gets more into your head than spending the same total time in one sitting.checked many timesDonovan & Radosevich, 1999, Journal of Applied Psychology 84(5) · 63 studies compared, difference d = 0.46 — a sizeable figure for a learning effect.
Frequently asked
How does the Basque character c read?
As “k in loanwords only: camera” — it is a consonant of the “Basque Latin alphabet” script. Native words never use c: camera, keto — all borrowings. For example, in the word “kamera” — camera.
What is the letter c called?
Ce. A character's name and its sound are different things in the Basque script: it is called “ce” and reads as “k in loanwords only: camera”. Learn the second one: the name only helps when the alphabet is recited aloud.
What can c be confused with?
The real Basque "k" is the letter k. Similar characters are best studied side by side and deliberately compared: learned on different days, they stay separate and get mixed up at their first meeting inside a word.