Why ch sounds like k

Thread starter meex2 Start date Feb 9, Status Not open for further replies. Hi, Are there any rules why CH sounds like K?

Sometimes it does, but mostly it doesn't. Like other English words, you just have to learn them. Well, there are general rules, right? CH is K in Biblical words So, in general, CH will sound like K if they are in greek or germanic. Any more rules? Well, it sort of depends on which biblical words. It's not "k" in charity or chastity or chariot or church or cherubim or chasten, but it is in Christ and Chaldeans and Chronicles and chrysolite. I think that's as mixed up as any other list.

We have: chorus k but chores ch chasm k but chase ch aching k but caching sh You might be able to learn groups of words based on the originating language but that takes more work than learning just the words themselves. I don't think you can use Germanic origin as a guarantee of the K sound. So are bench and church and match. I can't think of a word in English that ends in "tch" that doesn't have the "ch" sound but there may be one.

I was going to say that "nch" is also an indicator of a "ch" sound, but then we have "conch", don't we, which has a "k" sound. I can't think of a word in English ending in "uch" that doesn't have the "ch" sound other than names taken from other languages such as Baruch. Last edited: Feb 9, This is indeed very confusing. I have no idea how to teach my child. Welcome to English spelling. It's the reason that spelling bees competitions are so popular in the U. It is actually a learned skill to be able to spell English words properly and it basically involves memorization of individual words rather than rules.

I have been searching for references for you that specifically address "ch" but I haven't found a good one yet. I think a few generalizations that would work fairly well, with some exceptions, would be: 1 If the word ends in "ch" and a consonant precedes it, it's most likely the "ch" sound.

Examples: launch, lunch, mulch, branch, brunch, bunch, arch 2 If the word has the "tch" combination anywhere in it, it's most likely the "ch" sound. Examples: pitch, hatchet, latch, catch, ketchup, ketch, fetch, stretch, twitch, witch 3 If the word starts with "chr" it's most likely the "k" sound.

Examples: Christ, chrome, chrysalis, chronic, chronometer There are many words that aren't covered by these generalizations and the generalizations aren't perfect but it may give you something to start with. JamesM said:. Click to expand English-Ireland top end.

This is the first time I have come upon the suggestion that conch be pronounced conk Mind you, it's not a word that I use, or hear, often.

And I've never heard conch pronounced any way other than conk well, more like cahnk , actually. Create a free Team What is Teams?

Learn more. Pronunciation Rules for Ch words [duplicate] Ask Question. Asked 4 years, 7 months ago. Active 4 years, 7 months ago. Viewed 21k times. Improve this question. Some of them are discussed here. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. See Wikipedia: English words of Greek origin : Ch is pronounced like k rather than as in "church": e.

It's annoyingly hard to find a non-Wikipedia reference, but this borders on common knowledge. Improve this answer. Community Bot 1.

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