# Soccer Q: How is "Celtic" pronounced? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805 "2002-06-07T07:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blainer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@blainer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blainer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/1 "2002-06-07T07:29:05Z")
So, I am watching the Sweden - Nigeria game right now. One of the Swedish players apparently plays for Celtic (Rangers?), but the American announcer keeps on pronouncing Celtic with a soft C (like Boston Celtics). Am I crazy or shouldn’t it be a hard C, like Cacoon? Go U.S.A.! ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/2 "2002-06-07T07:39:04Z")
Soft C. “Seltic”. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/3 "2002-06-07T07:55:35Z")
Glasgow Celtic Glasgow Rangers. Both Scottish, but that’s where the similarity ends. Two VERY different teams, and very bitter rivals. ---
**Author:** ![joeadk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f14d63/32.png) [@joeadk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joeadk)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/4 "2002-06-07T08:28:23Z")
Blainer, you’re lucky you don’t have to wear a dress. ---
**Author:** ![blainer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@blainer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blainer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/5 "2002-06-07T08:29:47Z")
Thanks for the quick replies . . . I stand corrected. Crusoe: Good luck this afternoon (morning, here)! Aro: Shame on me. I thought that I had heard “Celtic Rangers” before. Good luck on Tuesday! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/6 "2002-06-07T09:42:02Z")
However, the Anthropological term is pronounced “Kel-tic” with a hard “C”. “Celtic Rangers” hee hee hee. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/7 "2002-06-07T10:14:14Z")
Lots of Kelts have played for Seltic. As for Rangers well lots of Ku… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/8 "2002-06-07T10:20:53Z")
Kult members? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/9 "2002-06-07T10:25:09Z")
Kunning funsters? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/10 "2002-06-07T10:25:21Z")
C’mon, somebody do the Richard Burton quote… ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/11 "2002-06-07T10:42:21Z")
I really like that Burton quote but I’m also a tease 😉 ---
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/12 "2002-06-07T11:35:49Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Mangetout_ > **C’mon, somebody do the Richard Burton quote…** You did it in this thread: [Celtic or Celtic?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=103862). ---
**Author:** ![girl27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ad7895/32.png) [@girl27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/girl27)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/13 "2002-06-07T13:33:16Z")
Celtic Rangers?? Blainer, if you stick a ’ / ’ in there, and it’ll make more sense: “I’m going to the Celtic/Rangers game this weekend. Can’t wait to see the Rangers get clobbered”… Ta daaa! (Go Celtic!) ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/14 "2002-06-07T14:00:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blainer \* > \*\*So, I am watching the Sweden - Nigeria game right now. One of the Swedish players apparently plays for Celtic (Rangers?), but the American announcer keeps on pronouncing Celtic with a soft C (like Boston Celtics). Am I crazy or shouldn’t it be a hard C, like Cacoon? > > Go U.S.A.! \*\* Merriam-Webster _Collegiate Dictionary_ lists both “kel-tik” and “sel-tik” with the hard “c” first. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/15 "2002-06-07T16:51:03Z")
If it’s teams, soft C. Otherwise, if you’re talking about the Celtic race and culture, hard C. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/16 "2002-06-07T17:27:14Z")
I would give the Celtics the edge if they were playing on wood, but the Rangers on ice. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/17 "2002-06-07T18:21:22Z")
I was always told the “Kelts” are a poeple, “Selts” are a team. I always stick with that usage: "K"eltic Art Boston "S"eltics YMMV - B ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/18 "2002-06-07T23:54:56Z")
Growing up in the west of Scotland, I was led to understand by school teachers that the purpose of the distinction in pronounciation was to allow Scots Protestants (like ourselves) to admit to being Celtic (hard C) without being taken to be supporters of Celtic (soft C). Whether there was an equivalent rationalisation amongst Catholics I don’t know. I suspect that the difference actually has more to do with historical shifts in the pronounciation of Latin, c.f. Kaiser and Caeser. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/19 "2002-06-08T00:07:25Z")
Soft C. Dundee United are a far superior team though. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2002, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805/20 "2002-06-08T00:46:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blainer \* > \*\*So, I am watching the Sweden - Nigeria game right now. One of the Swedish players apparently plays for Celtic (Rangers?), but the American announcer keeps on pronouncing Celtic with a soft C (like Boston Celtics). Am I crazy or shouldn’t it be a hard C, like Cacoon? > > Go U.S.A.! \*\* The word Celtic (as in old english) is pronounced “Keltic” The scotish soccer team is pronounced “Seltic” And… 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0!!! England!!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-q-how-is-celtic-pronounced/112805.md?page=2)