ti, gn, sc and h: Classical and Church

Ti, Gn, Sc and H Compared

Level 1

Learn these four groups side by side.

How It Works

Letters	Classical	Church
ti before a vowel	tee	tsee, but tee after s, t or x
gn	ng-n	ny
sc before e or i	sk	sh
h	h	silent, except in mihi and nihil, where it sounds like k

Gratia is GRAH-tee-ah in classical Latin and GRAHT-see-ah in Church Latin. Hostia keeps tee in both, because the ti comes after s.

If you sing in a choir, follow your director on mihi and nihil, and use the table for every other word.

A simple way to remember: classical Latin sounds the letters as written, and Church Latin softens them the Italian way.

Gratia plena.
Full of grace.
Classical: GRAH-tee-ah. Church: GRAHT-see-ah.
Agnus Dei.
Lamb of God.
Classical: AHNG-noos. Church: AHN-yoos.
Piscis in aqua est.
The fish is in the water.
Piscis has sc before i. Classical: PIS-kis. Church: PEESH-shees.
Hostia sancta.
A holy offering.
The ti follows s, so it stays tee in both journeys.
Mihi nomen est Marcus.
My name is Marcus.
Mihi is MIH-hee in classical Latin and MEE-kee in Church Latin.

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ti, gn, sc and h: Classical and ChurchLevel 1Ti, Gn, Sc and H Compared

These are more sound differences between the two readings, so soft and hard c and g come first.

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