Spanish word

ce

Pronunciation

IPA/θe/

Meaning

  • feminine nounc

Example

¿Cómo se escribe la letra ce?

How do you write the letter c?

Illustration for ce (c)

More examples

En América Latina, la letra ce suele sonar como ese.

In Latin America, the letter c usually sounds like s.

Core concept

Letter-name ce used in Spanish alphabet recitation and spelling, pronounced /se/ or /θe/.

Common phrases

  • deletrear la ce

    spell the c

  • la grafía de la ce

    spelling of the c

  • la pronunciación de la ce

    pronunciation of the c

Similar words

zeta: Letter Z in the Spanish alphabet, pronounced /seta/ (Latin America) or /θeta/ (Spain).
ese: Letter S in the Spanish alphabet, pronounced /ese/.

Definition in Spanish

Designa la letra c del alfabeto; sirve para nombrar ese signo cuando se deletrea o se habla de ortografía, pronunciándose /se/ en la mayor parte de América y /θe/ en partes de España.

Word origin

The modern Spanish ce comes from the Latin letter name C and reflects the regional development of Spanish sounds that produce /se/ in most of Latin America and /θe/ in parts of Spain.

Usage tips

  • The form looks like English 'see' but does not always match that pronunciation, since Spain uses /θe/ and Latin America uses /se/, which can matter in dictation or listening.

Word lists with this word