LingoflyQ q — ku
«ku» is a consonant of the Basque script, read as “k, in foreign names like Quebec”. Native words never use q: only foreign names like Quebec. Even kiwi is spelled with k. For example, in the word “Quebec” — Quebec. The Basque alphabet has 27 letters in total, and this character can be played right here. Like c, it lives only in foreign names and terms. In the alphabet it sits in the “for foreign words” group.
In short
| Character | Q q |
| Name | ku |
| Sound | k, in foreign names like Quebec |
| What it is | a consonant |
In our course the character comes 18th of 32: the order here is not alphabetical but from familiar to unfamiliar, its neighbours in the course are p and r.
How it sounds
Native words never use q: only foreign names like Quebec. Even kiwi is spelled with k
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.
- QuebecQuebec
The character in the “for foreign words” group
Five letters native words never use. They live in foreign names and a few words like wifi and yoga. Most borrowings are spelled with Basque letters: kamera, kafe, bideo.
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 «ku» it is “k, in foreign names like Quebec”, as in the word “Quebec”), 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 — 27 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 q read?
As “k, in foreign names like Quebec” — it is a consonant of the Basque script. Native words never use q: only foreign names like Quebec. Even kiwi is spelled with k. For example, in the word “Quebec” — Quebec.
What is the letter q called?
Ku. A character's name and its sound are different things in the Basque script: it is called “ku” and reads as “k, in foreign names like Quebec”. Learn the second one: the name only helps when the alphabet is recited aloud.