The French Ç (C Cédille): How and When to Use It?

In French, you may often see the letter ç (called c cédille).

It’s simply the letter c with a small hook underneath.

Even though it looks unusual, its use is very simple and follows a clear rule.

This guide explains how and when to use ç in French, with pronunciation tips and examples.

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1. What Is the French Ç?

• The ç is called c cédille in French.

• It is only used before the vowels a, o, u.

• Its function: to make the letter c sound like an s (soft sound), instead of a hard k sound.

👉 Example:

• ça → sounds like sa

• Without the cedilla (ca), it would sound like ka.

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2. The Rule of the C Cédille

• C + a, o, u = hard sound [k]

  • car → [kar]

  • colle → [kɔl]

  • culture → [kyltyʁ]

• Ç + a, o, u = soft sound [s]

  • ça → [sa]

  • français → [frɑ̃sɛ]

  • garçon → [gaʁsɔ̃]

👉 In short: ç is only used to keep the [s] sound before a, o, u.

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3. When NOT to Use It

• Before e and i, the letter c is already soft ([s]).

  • ciel → [sjɛl] (sky)

  • cent → [sɑ̃] (hundred)

👉 No cedilla is needed in these cases.

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4. Common Words with Ç

Here are some very frequent French words with ç:

• ça → that, this

• français → French

• garçon → boy

• leçon → lesson

• commençons → we start

• avançons → we move forward

• façade → façade, front

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5. Examples in Sentences

• Ça va ? → How’s it going?

• Il est français. → He is French.

• Le garçon mange une pomme. → The boy eats an apple.

• Nous commençons à travailler. → We are starting to work.

• Cette façade est très ancienne. → This façade is very old.

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6. Quick Pronunciation Tip

• Think of ç as always sounding like an English S.

• Without the cedilla, c before a, o, u = hard K sound.

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✅ Quick Recap

• The ç (c cédille) makes c sound soft ([s]) before a, o, u.

• You don’t need it before e or i (already soft).

• It appears in common words like ça, français, garçon, leçon.

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🎯 Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks with c or ç:

1. fran__ais

2. gar__on

3. le__on

4. mer__i

5. fa__ade

Answers: 1. français 2. garçon 3. leçon 4. merci (no cedilla needed) 5. façade

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Conclusion

The French ç (c cédille) is not complicated once you know the rule: it simply turns c into an s sound before a, o, u. Learning this tiny mark will help you pronounce French words correctly and avoid mistakes.

👉 Pro tip: Remember the word ça (very common in French) — it’s your best reminder of how the cedilla works.

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• French ç cedilla rules
• How to use c cedilla in French
• Pronunciation of ç in French
• French grammar basics letters
• Examples of ç words in French