There is no “k” or “x” in “et cetera” (sometimes printed as one word: “etcetera”). It is a Latin phrase that means “and so forth.” The first word is “et,” which means “and,” as in Caesar’s famous accusation, “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?). “Cetera” means “the rest,” or “the remainder.”
I think it’s the “c” in “cetera” that throws people off, and they don’t look closely to see where it comes in. They think it is a hard “c,” but it’s an “s” sound: “ett settera.” In Latin, the “c” would be hard: “ett kettera,” but not “ek kettera” or “ek settera.”
I learned to read phonetically, and as a consequence I still sound out every word in my head as I read. That slows me down, but I don’t mind. Instead of being able to skim over lots of pages I have to choose carefully what I read. I don’t find it to be a handicap.
Those who learned to read “holistically,” that is, recognizing individual words and not sounding out their parts, are more prone to mispronunciation. They’re the ones who put an extra “n” in “pundit” or pronounce “rural” as “rule.” They don’t hear the second “i” in “poinsettia” or the first “r” in “turmeric.”
Et cetera.
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