Suffixes to Words Ending in 'c'

The rule for adding suffixes to words ending in ‘c’ is fairly straightforward but essential for maintaining the correct pronunciation of the resulting word. Here are the key points:

Rule#

• When a word ends in ‘c’, and you need to add a suffix that starts with ’e’, ‘i’, or ‘y’, you typically add a ‘k’ before the suffix. This is done to preserve the hard ‘k’ sound of the ‘c’.

Examples

Adding -er:

• panic + -er = panicker
• traffic + -er = trafficker

Adding -ed:

• picnic + -ed = picnicked
• mimic + -ed = mimicked

Adding -ing:

• traffic + -ing = trafficking
• mimic + -ing = mimicking

Adding -y:

• picnic + -y = picnicky

Rationale#

• The addition of ‘k’ is necessary because the ‘c’ in these words would otherwise have a soft ’s’ sound before the vowels ’e’, ‘i’, or ‘y’. By adding ‘k’, the hard ‘k’ sound is preserved.

Exceptions#

• There are no major exceptions to this rule as the addition of ‘k’ is consistent for maintaining pronunciation.