Leaf Spelling Dictionary

Is the s sound in laciniate written with an s?

soft-cThe c of laciniate is followed by an i, so it goes soft and says s. That single letter is the whole difficulty of the word.

heard aslasiniate
spelledlaciniate
saidluh-SIN-ee-ut

No. It is a c: laciniate.

Soft c is one of the most productive spellings in English and one of the least detectable by ear. Before e, i or y, a c behaves as an s, and lacinia has an i in exactly that position. Nothing you can hear separates this word from a version spelled with an s, which is why lasiniate is the most reasonable wrong answer on the list.

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