# Why do we need the letter K? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501 "2007-07-20T05:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/21 "2007-07-20T12:01:59Z")
One misconception: K is not more recent that C. Just the opposite, C was a late addition to the Latin alphabet. What happened was that the letter occupying that spot was a G sound. Gradually, many instances got devoiced and, rather than spelling them with a K, they divided the G into two letters and put one in the place that had been occupied by the Z, which Latin didn’t need but whose omission screwed up the counting system (bad move, after borrowing zillions of Greek words, they had to take it back). Then many instances of the this K sound softened to an S sound, so we wind up with a letter with two sounds, each of which was covered by another letter. Incidentally, the K is softened in some contexts in Norwegian and probably the other Scandinavian languages too. The problem with spelling reform is that it leaves the old texts unreadable and with not reforming is you wind up with the horrors of English spelling. English has several dozen (maybe more, but my son and I came up with several dozen examples without breathing hard) examples of pairs of words spelled the same and pronunced differently: read, lead, abuse, house, … Often, but not always, they are verb/noun pairs. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/22 "2007-07-20T12:18:27Z")
I think we should go with the [decibet](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75rdecabet.phtml). It would solve all these problems. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/23 "2007-07-20T12:31:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hari Seldon] The problem with spelling reform is that it leaves the old texts unreadable and with not reforming is you wind up with the horrors of English spelling. [/QUOTE] Luckily, widespread literacy is slowly extricating us from this dilemma, as “spelling pronunciations” gradually take over. In effect, the speakers of English are carrying out a collective “pronunciation reform” that (I think) will eventually make this language much easier to spell. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/24 "2007-07-20T12:43:17Z")
\>Hey, you self centered English speakers! We in the Netherlands DO use the K daily, thank youverymuch! What do you want, your own alphabet? WHY do you in the Netherlands use K? I mean, why do you even speak Foreign? It’s obvious from your post you can write normally. Sort of. Though, we do put spaces between words when using proper English letters. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/25 "2007-07-20T12:44:38Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] For example, we could assign each sound a number and thereby write with just 10 symbols. [/QUOTE] 1F UR L337 U 4LR34DY D0 7|-|47 D00D!!!111! |-|4 |-|4 1 P//N2 J00 …0 //417 7|-|472 N07 //|-|47 U //\34N O NO32 1 R P//N3D!!1 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/26 "2007-07-20T12:56:42Z")
What would Sesame Street do without “K”? think of all the sponsorships that “K” is involved in. Do you think “C” or “Q” will take up the slack?? As if! Once “K” is gone, that’s one less competitor, and they can cut down on their promotion budgets - tight bastards! And I wouldn’t be surprised if “Q” goes next - it’s already got a pretty small market share. Then we’ll be left to the tender mercies of of “C” and its monopoly on “kuh” sounds. You think we’ll get good phoneme service in that sort of situation? That’s why the feds broke up Bell, remember? Keep “K”, and keep market choice! Let the konsumers decide! ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/27 "2007-07-20T13:01:23Z")
Y! ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/28 "2007-07-20T13:43:31Z")
Without “K”, how would I pronounce “bolour supplement”? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/29 "2007-07-20T14:00:36Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] Without “K”, how would I pronounce “bolour supplement”? [/QUOTE] bunt. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/30 "2007-07-20T14:08:21Z")
Won’t someone think of Potassium!? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/31 "2007-07-20T14:10:25Z")
We need K to allow us to differentiate between Potassium and Carbon. ETA: Two minutes. Two lousy, stinking minutes. (Okay, how would you spell “stinking” without K?) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/32 "2007-07-20T14:15:22Z")
I suppose it has a few useful purposes, as in distinguishing between _block_ (usually some kind of physical object) and _bloc_ (an allied group), but context would make that more often than not unnecessary. It might also been seen as helpful in clarifying for new readers the pronunciation of _panicked_, _panicking_, etc., though granted, one might just as easily write _paniqued_, etc. While seemingly unnecessary letters in English have origins which can be explained, we continue to use them more out of tradition. ---
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/33 "2007-07-20T14:17:37Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] We need K to allow us to differentiate between Potassium and Carbon. ETA: Two minutes. Two lousy, stinking minutes. (Okay, how would you spell “stinking” without K?) [/QUOTE] stinquing? odiferous? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/34 "2007-07-20T14:19:46Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] Why do we need the letter K? [/QUOTE] I don’t now the answer. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/35 "2007-07-20T16:07:07Z")
Just to clarify: I’m not saying I think we should eliminate the letter K (or C) - it would be pointless now that it’s so ingrained - just that I was baffled by how it came into use in the first place, as it seems unnecessary. As for “Kite/cite” and other examples: without a “k”, I’m sure we’d have managed somehow; “cyte”, perhaps, and similarly for other words (“noe” for “know”, etc.). Sure they look weird now, but if it had been that way all along, we’d see no problem with it. Thanks for the historical information, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/36 "2007-07-20T16:30:22Z")
Leave K alone. The one we can get rid of is C. Its two sounds can be spelt with K and S. 🙂 And let’s return to CW (er, I mean, KW now) instead of QU. We kan get rid of Q entirely, unless we’re planning to introduse a voiced guttural K-type sound… (linguists will know what I’m trying to say here). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/37 "2007-07-20T17:16:34Z")
Hell, let’s bring back the velar fricative! ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/38 "2007-07-20T18:25:05Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] 1F UR L337 U 4LR34DY D0 7|-|47 D00D!!!111! |-|4 |-|4 1 P//N2 J00 …0 //417 7|-|472 N07 //|-|47 U //\34N O NO32 1 R P//N3D!!1 [/QUOTE] |_||2 133+5|^3@|\< !2 \|34]\<5/[_]([- ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/39 "2007-07-20T18:38:35Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Leave K alone. The one we can get rid of is C. Its two sounds can be spelt with K and S. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Which would you use to replace the C’s in church, chop, chess, choo-choo etc? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501/40 "2007-07-20T18:42:17Z")
Gotta keep k, because it’s the end of _My D!ck_. Otherwise it would be _C: The End of My D!ck_. 😃 I kill myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-the-letter-k/412501.md?page=3)