cedilla: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Specialized / Technical
Quick answer
What does “cedilla” mean?
A diacritical mark (¸) placed under a letter (typically 'c') to indicate a change in pronunciation, most commonly from /k/ to /s/ in languages like French, Portuguese, and Catalan.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A diacritical mark (¸) placed under a letter (typically 'c') to indicate a change in pronunciation, most commonly from /k/ to /s/ in languages like French, Portuguese, and Catalan.
In typography and linguistics, a cedilla denotes a specific palatalized or softened consonant sound. It can also refer to the mark itself as a typographical element, and historically, it evolved from a small letter 'z' written beneath 'c'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Pronunciation differs slightly.
Connotations
Neutral, technical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both dialects, confined to specialized discussions.
Grammar
How to Use “cedilla” in a Sentence
The noun 'façade' contains a cedilla.A cedilla is attached to the letter.The cedilla indicates the soft pronunciation.Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in linguistics, philology, and typography papers.
Everyday
Extremely rare; might occur in language learning contexts.
Technical
Standard term in typography, character encoding, and language specification.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cedilla”
- Misspelling as 'cedila' or 'ceddilla'.
- Incorrectly calling it an 'accent'.
- Using it with letters other than 'c' in the specific language's orthography (e.g., using it under 's' in Turkish is correct, but applying it arbitrarily is wrong).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are distinct typographical marks. A cedilla (¸) is a hook attached to the bottom of a letter (like ç), while a comma (,) is a punctuation mark placed on the baseline.
Yes, though it's most common with 'c'. For example, in Latvian, it is used with 'ģ', 'ķ', 'ļ', 'ņ', and in Turkish with 'ş'.
Hold the Alt key and type 0231 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. For the capital 'Ç', use Alt+0199.
The word comes from the Spanish 'cedilla', meaning 'little zed', a diminutive of 'zeda' (the letter Z). This reflects its historical origin as a small 'z' written beneath the letter 'c'.
A diacritical mark (¸) placed under a letter (typically 'c') to indicate a change in pronunciation, most commonly from /k/ to /s/ in languages like French, Portuguese, and Catalan.
Cedilla is usually specialized / technical in register.
Cedilla: in British English it is pronounced /sɪˈdɪlə/, and in American English it is pronounced /səˈdiː(j)ə/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a little SNAIL (sounds like 'cédille' in French) clinging under the letter C, softening its hard shell into a soft 's' sound.
Conceptual Metaphor
A TOOL FOR MODIFICATION (a small tool that alters the function of a letter).
Practice
Quiz
In which of these languages is a cedilla NOT typically used?