When you’re researching for a school project, knowing words that start with a specific letter can be helpful. Here’s a guide to things that start with “C,” organized by categories like parts of speech, foods, places, and more. Whether you need nouns, verbs, or scientific terms, this list has got you covered!

Table of Contents
- Parts of Speech that Start with C
- Encouraging and Positive Words that Start with C
- Short Words that Start with C
- Foods that Start with C
- Instruments that Start with C
- Occupations and Hobbies that Start with C
- Countries and Places that Start with C
- Languages that Start with C
- Science Words that Start with C
- Animals that Start with C
- Plants that Start with C
- Also See
Parts of Speech that Start with C
Nouns
- Cab: A vehicle for hire, also known as a taxi.
- Camera: A device used to capture images or videos.
- Can: A metal container for holding liquids or food.
- Cap: A soft, flat hat.
- Car: A vehicle with four wheels, typically used for transportation.
- Castle: A large fortified building, often historical.
- Cat: A small domesticated animal known for its agility and independent nature.
- Candle: A stick of wax with a wick that burns to give light.
- Cloud: A mass of water vapor in the sky, often associated with weather.
- Computer: An electronic device used for storing and processing data.
- Cup: A small container used for drinking.
Verbs
- Catch: To grab or capture something.
- Climb: To move upward, often using your hands and feet.
- Create: To bring something into existence.
- Carry: To hold or transport something from one place to another.
- Cook: To prepare food by heating it.
- Cut: To divide something into pieces using a sharp tool.
- Communicate: To share or exchange information or ideas.
Adjectives
- Calm: Free from excitement or disturbance.
- Colorful: Having bright and varied colors.
- Clever: Quick to understand, learn, and devise solutions.
- Courageous: Showing bravery in the face of fear or danger.
- Curious: Eager to learn or know more.
- Cold: Having a low temperature.
- Comfortable: Providing physical or mental ease.
- Compassionate: Showing sympathy and concern for others.
Encouraging and Positive Words that Start with C
- Confidence: Belief in oneself and one’s abilities.
- Courage: The ability to face fear or challenges.
- Compassion: A feeling of deep sympathy and desire to help others.
- Caring: Displaying kindness and concern for others.
- Celebrate: To mark an occasion or achievement with joy.
- Creative: Having original ideas and the ability to invent.
- Commitment: Dedication to a cause, activity, or goal.
- Calm: A state of peace or tranquility.
- Clarity: The quality of being clear and easy to understand.
Short Words that Start with C
- Cap: A soft, flat hat.
- Car: A vehicle used for transportation.
- Cup: A small, round container for drinking liquids.
- Cat: A small domesticated animal.
- Cut: To divide something using a sharp tool.
- Cow: A large domesticated animal raised for milk or meat.
- Cod: A type of fish commonly eaten.
- Can: A container made of metal, used for holding liquids or food.
- Cry: To shed tears, typically as an expression of emotion.
- Cox: A person who steers a rowing boat.
Foods that Start with C
- Carrot: A long, orange root vegetable.
- Cake: A sweet baked dessert often served at celebrations.
- Cucumber: A green, crunchy vegetable often eaten in salads.
- Chicken: A type of poultry eaten in many dishes worldwide.
- Cherries: Small red fruits with a pit inside.
- Chocolate: A sweet treat made from cocoa.
- Corn: A yellow grain eaten as a vegetable.
- Crab: A sea creature known for its claws, often eaten as seafood.
- Coconut: A tropical fruit with a hard shell and white flesh.
Instruments that Start with C
- Clarinet: A woodwind instrument with a single-reed mouthpiece.
- Cornet: A brass instrument similar to a trumpet.
- Clavichord: A small keyboard instrument popular in the Baroque period.
- Concertina: A small, hexagonal accordion.
- Cajón: A box-shaped percussion instrument from Peru.
- Castanets: A pair of handheld percussion instruments clicked together in rhythm.
- Crumhorn: A Renaissance-era woodwind instrument.
- Cittern: A Renaissance stringed instrument related to the lute.
Occupations and Hobbies that Start with C
- Carpenter: A person who builds or repairs wooden structures.
- Counselor: A professional who provides advice and support, often in a mental health or educational setting.
- Coach: A person who trains and mentors others, often in sports.
- Composer: A person who writes music.
- Chemist: A scientist who studies chemicals and their reactions.
- Cartographer: A person who makes maps.
- Curator: A person who manages collections, often in a museum or gallery.
- Clown: A performer who entertains others with humor and tricks.
Countries and Places that Start with C
- Canada: A large country in North America known for its natural beauty.
- China: The world’s most populous country, located in East Asia.
- Cuba: An island nation in the Caribbean.
- Chile: A long, narrow country on the western edge of South America.
- Colombia: A country in northern South America known for its coffee.
- Cambodia: A Southeast Asian country known for the Angkor Wat temple.
- Croatia: A European country along the Adriatic Sea.
- Cyprus: An island nation in the eastern Mediterranean.
- Czech Republic: A central European country known for its medieval architecture.
- Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast): A West African country known for its cocoa production.
Languages that Start with C
- Chinese: The most spoken language in the world, with many dialects like Mandarin and Cantonese.
- Czech: The official language of the Czech Republic.
- Catalan: A language spoken in northeastern Spain and parts of France.
- Cherokee: The language of the Cherokee Native American tribe.
- Cree: A language spoken by the Cree people of Canada.
- Corsican: A Romance language spoken on the island of Corsica.
- Chichewa: A Bantu language spoken in Malawi.
- Cebuano: A language spoken in the Philippines.
- Chamorro: A language spoken in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Croatian: The official language of Croatia.
Science Words that Start with C
- Carbon: A chemical element that is essential for all life on Earth.
- Cell: The basic building block of all living organisms.
- Chlorophyll: The green pigment in plants that allows them to perform photosynthesis.
- Circuit: A closed loop that allows electricity to flow.
- Chromosome: A structure made of DNA that contains genetic information.
- Climate: The average weather conditions in a region over a long period.
- Conduction: The process by which heat or electricity is transmitted through a substance.
- Condensation: The change of a gas into a liquid, often when cooled.
- Centrifuge: A machine that spins rapidly to separate substances of different densities.
- Compound: A substance made of two or more elements chemically bonded together.
- Combustion: A chemical process where a substance reacts with oxygen to produce heat and light.
Animals that Start with C
- Cobra: A venomous snake known for its hood and defensive posture.
- Crab: A sea creature with a hard shell and pincers.
- Cougar: A large cat native to the Americas, also known as a mountain lion.
- Camel: A large desert animal known for its hump(s) and ability to survive without water for long periods.
- Clam: A shellfish that lives in the sand or mud along beaches.
Plants that Start with C
- Cactus: A spiny plant adapted to dry environments, often found in deserts.
- Cabbage: A leafy green vegetable commonly used in salads and cooking.
- Carrot: A root vegetable that is typically orange in color.
- Carnation: A popular flower often used in bouquets and decorations.
- Clover: A small, green plant known for its three or four leaves and often associated with good luck.
- Cedar: A type of tree known for its aromatic wood, often used in construction and furniture-making.
- Chrysanthemum: A flowering plant known for its large, colorful blooms.
- Cucumber: A long, green vegetable often used in salads.
This comprehensive list of things that start with “C” covers a wide range of topics, from parts of speech to animals and plants, and can help students with their research or school projects.
Adjectives that Start with C

Winter Words that Start with C

Things That Start with C

Christmas Words that Start with C

Gabrielle Kotkov is an AMI-trained 3-6 Montessorian and educational consultant. She has a Master's Degree in Child Studies and is certified in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). She is particularly interested in the intersection between Montessori education and multilingualism, which led her to create the Multilingual Montessori website and podcast. Gabrielle has taught in schools in NYC, Sicily, London, and Austin, and is currently on the teaching faculty of the West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program, an AMS training center in NYC.