Ceceo

Pronouncing s as soft c/z

Some Spanish speakers pronounce the letter "s" as a soft c/z, a phenomen known as "ceceo". This happens in southern Spain, specifically Andalucía and especially in rural areas, as well as in some parts of Latin America.

Let's listen to some examples, pronounced with and without ceceo:

With ceceo:

casahouse

Without ceceo:

casahouse

With ceceo:

payasoclown

Without ceceo:

payasoclown

With ceceo:

SevillaSeville

Without ceceo:

SevillaSeville

Many Spanish speakers have a negative opinion of ceceo.

See also seseo and distinción

Clever stuff happening!