When are c and g soft?

Usually before e, i, or y. City, face, and cent have soft c; gem, giant, and gym have soft g. Before other letters they keep their hard sounds, as in cat and go. G has some common exceptions, like get and girl, so the word you hear gets the last say.

Why does English do this?

The pattern came along with French words centuries ago and settled into a huge share of the dictionary. For c it is very reliable. For g it holds in most words but not all: some very common words (get, give, girl) keep a hard g.

1st grade soft c and soft g

1st grade soft c and soft g worksheets

C and g each have two sounds, and the next letter usually chooses: soft before e, i, and y (city, gem), hard elsewhere (cat, go). First graders say each word and sort soft sounds from hard ones.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll sort

Write each word from the bank in the correct column.

coatcandlecatracegumcenterbridgestage

Columns: soft sound (s or j) and hard sound (k or g). "race" belongs under soft sound (s or j); "coat" belongs under hard sound (k or g).

Every print pulls a new set of words at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

1st grade sheets draw from 58 words, 10 to a page. 1st to 3rd grade print from the same 58 words. What changes is the standard (RF.1.3 here) and the teaching notes below. 2nd grade sheets print 14 to a page.

Some of the words:

placespaceorangeenergyhedgecostgategoldwagondragon

Sorting. Write each word from the bank in the correct column. 10 words per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Make e, i, and y the magic letters: write them on three cards and have your child find which one is doing the softening in each word. Trigger-spotting turns an abstract rule into a treasure hunt.

Watch for: The next letter is the clue: e, i, or y usually softens, and anything else keeps the sound hard. Kids should find the letter AFTER the c or g, then say the word. C follows the clue almost every time; g has everyday exceptions (get, give, girl, gift), and the ear settles those. The -dge ending (bridge, judge) is soft g with a bodyguard: the d keeps the vowel short. It sounds exactly like the ge in cage.

Common questions about 1st grade soft c and soft g

When are c and g soft?: Usually before e, i, or y. City, face, and cent have soft c; gem, giant, and gym have soft g. Before other letters they keep their hard sounds, as in cat and go. G has some common exceptions, like get and girl, so the word you hear gets the last say.
Why does English do this?: The pattern came along with French words centuries ago and settled into a huge share of the dictionary. For c it is very reliable. For g it holds in most words but not all: some very common words (get, give, girl) keep a hard g.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of words? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core RF.1.3. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets