Learning Worksheets Phonics Letter C sound
Free printable PDF · beginning sounds · ages 3–5
Letter C Sound Worksheet: Beginning Sound /k/ (Free PDF)
Cat, car, cake and cow: this page practises the hard c sound, /k/, which is the sound c makes at the start of most early words.
The C worksheet at a glance
- Section 1: say /k/ and trace the letter in capital and small form.
- Section 2: find the 6 /k/ pictures (car, cake, carrot, cow, corn and cookie) among 12.
- Section 3: picture-to-sound matching for four first sounds.
- Answer key: picture names, answers and quick tips.
Mouth position for /k/
Lift the back of your tongue to touch the roof of your mouth, then release it with a short puff of air: /k/. Your lips stay relaxed and slightly open.
Ways to practise the /k/ sound
Make a “c is for cat” card and draw whiskers on it together. Say the sound while you trace the curve of the c with a finger. Then sort a few toys or pictures into a “c box”: car, cup, cow and a couple that do not belong. Talk about how the sound comes from the back of the mouth, not the lips.
Extra /k/ words
Cat, cup, cap, can, cot, cub, cake, castle.
Tricky bits
The letters c and k make the same sound in cat and kite, which is confusing at first. On this page, every picture that starts with /k/ is spelled with c. Later, children learn when to use k and when to use c. The letter c also says /s/ in words like city, but leave that for later.
Game: Caterpillar crawl
Line up some cushions as a caterpillar. Your child crawls along one cushion each time they say a word that starts with /k/. When they reach the head, they shout their favourite c word.
Little and often
Cars on the road, cups at lunch, carrots on the plate: there are plenty of c words to spot every day.
A silly sentence to try
Cool cats can carry cakes in cars.
Letter c handwriting
Handwriting pages for this letter: C uppercase · c lowercase · c cursive.
Keep going
Carry on with letter d, then letter e. Later, c joins other letters in the ch sound.
Letter C sound questions
Why does c make two sounds?
The letter c usually says /k/ (cat, cup) but says /s/ before e, i and y (city, ice). Early readers mostly meet the hard /k/ sound, so this page starts there.
Is the sound the same as the letter k?
Yes. Cat and kite start with the same sound. Our letter k page practises the k spelling.
More answers in the phonics FAQ.
More Letter Sound Worksheets
Also try: CVC words · sight words · alphabet tracing