Background

The letter g is not a reliable letter in terms of the sound it makes. It makes both a hard and soft sound. The hard /g/ as represented in the words gate and go is the most common pronunciation. The hard sound is usually made by g when it follows the vowels a, o, or u. The letter g is also usually hard when followed by a consonant, as in the gl and gr blends. The letter g makes a soft sound like j, when followed by e (gem), y (gym), and i (giant). It is also usually soft in the medial position and final position when followed by silent e (page). But there are exceptions, such as, forget, girl, and give. The g is sometimes silent, as in gnat. When g is doubled as in suggest, the first g is hard, and the second g is soft.