Rules of use of C and S

Due to the similarity of sounds, in many occasions the use of certain consonants in Spanish can be complicated. One of the main errors is derived from the use of three letters of our language, specifically C and S. In this lesson from a TEACHER we want to show you what are the rules for using C and S so that you are clearer when each of them is placed in a word and in this way avoid spelling mistakes.

Frequently sounds C and S are confused when speaking This is due to various factors, above all related to variations in accents in the different geographical areas of Spain and America. This causes that in many cases the words are not written correctly and the S is used instead of the C or vice versa. So that this does not happen to you, we are going to see the basic rules for the use of each of them.

Take note of what the rules of use of the letter C:

• The ending -ces that comes from the plural of words ending in Z is written with C. For example: corn, fish, atrocious, roots, raptors.
• The forms of verbs ending in C are written with C
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  -go, -cend, -receive and -quote, as long as it does not come from roots that carry S, for example: ignite, perceive, grant, receive, recite.
• Words ending in C are written with C en -ancio, -ancio, -encía except craving and hydrangea. Some examples are: extravagance, tiredness, stale, excellence, indulgence, constancy or fragrance.
• Words ending in -acia, -icia, -icie e -icio. Some examples of these are: bustle, greed, fallacy, plain, Phoenician, malice.
• Words ending in - are written with Ction that are related to words that end with -to, -tor and -dar. Let's see some examples to better understand this rule: blessing / blessed, composition / composer; attribution / attribute.
• The diminutives ending in - are written with Ccito, -ecito and - ecillo, as long as they come from words that do not end in S. Some examples are: minnow, flower, little foot.
• The suffixes are written with C -acid, -cide and -cide. For example: dawn, established, genocide.
• Verbs ending in C are written with C –Say and –duct. An example could be: lead, translate, shine, say, spread, translate.
• Verbs ending in C are written with C -cer. Some examples are: being born, thanking, shaking, doing, suffering.
• Verbs ending in C are written with C -claring. As an example: waste, caress, bargain, appreciate.
• Verbs ending in C are written with C -czar in some of its verb forms. The Z becomes a C when it is before the vowel E. Let's look at some examples: Shame, Channel, Analyze, Use.
• Words ending in c are written with C. Examples: birth, establishment, gratitude, parking, suffering, enrichment.

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Next we are going to see what are the rules of use of the S so that you can clearly differentiate it from the C.

• The ending se of all the verbs of the past imperfect, from the subjunctive mood. For example: love, fear, have, comply, rise.
• Words ending in -ense and that refer to gentile. Some examples are: Canadian, Costa Rican, Huelva, Seville.
• Words ending in -ersa, -erse and -erso. Some examples: adverse, daring, reverse, convert, perverse, beautify.
• Words ending in - are written with Sesca and -esco. As examples we can find: gigantic, grotesque, picturesque.
• Words ending in -ism. Some examples: athletics, magnetism, avant-garde, altruism.
• Words ending in superlatives are written with S –Very and -ísima. Thus the following examples are: beautiful, very intelligent, ugly, very delicate.
• Words ending in –Oso and -osa. Some examples: tasty, amazing, wonderful, kind, lazy, great.
• Words ending in -Zion when they come from words ending in -so, -sor, -sivo. Thus we can find: persuasion, repression, understanding, precision, foresight.
• The endings are written with S -this, -this e -ista. Examples: tiesto, artist, feminist, pianist.
• The endings are written with S –Sivo and -siva. As examples we can see: comprehensive, expressive, intensive, corrosive, massive.
• The verbs that in their infinitive are written with S they have no s, c or z. Some examples of these are: wanted, you see, has (from the verb have).

We hope that these rules for using C and S have been useful to you and that you can put them into practice on a daily basis to avoid confusion and misspellings. If you want to continue learning more about the Spanish language, do not hesitate to visit our sections In which you will find content that will help you with your training with simple lessons and practical examples so that you can clarify all your doubts.

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