Articulate main character (3)

I believe the answer is:

cee

'character' is the definition.
(the letter C)

'articulate main' is the wordplay.
'articulate' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue (articulated or said out loud).
'main' becomes 'sea' (the main is an old name for the sea).
'sea' sounds like 'CEE'.

(Another definition for cee that I've seen is " letter".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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