Decoding the letter K

The letter K, lowercase k (pronounced /keɪ/) normally represents IPA phoneme /k/.


 * Normally "k" is used before "e" or "i", after "n" or as the last sound of the syllable
 * as the last sound of the syllable: bake - book - break - breakfast - dark - like - look - make - oak - shake - shark - sink - take - think - walk - week - weekly - work
 * after "n": ankle - wrinkle
 * before "e" or "i": donkey - keep - kill - kind - kiss - kitchen - market - skin - speaker - market - worker


 * Exceptionally "k" is used before "a", "o", "u", "l" or "r" in the same syllable:
 * chakra /ˈtʃʌkrə/ - haiku - kangaroo - Kansas - karate - karma - klaxon (also claxon) - koala - Korea - okay - Oklahoma - remarkable


 * "ck" sounds /k/: attack - black - check - chicken - lock - luck - rock - sock - shock - sick - stick - thick - ticket


 * exceptionally "kk" is used: trekking


 * In transliterations "kh" represents IPA phonetic symbol [x], which is normally pronounced as /k/. Khrushchev is [xrʊˈɕːɵf] in Russian and /ˈkrʊʃtʃev/ in English.


 * Exceptionally "k" can be silent.
 * knee - knife - knock - know - knowledge /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/ - unknown /ʌnˈnəʊn/


 * Homophones
 * kernel - colonel; knew - new; know - no