Silent letters are letters that use to write the word, but we don’t pronounce. You will see them on paper, but you won’t hear them when you say the word. In this post, you will find a comprehensive list of words that contain silent letters. Bookmark this page so that you can check it anytime and download our free guide for more tips on how to improve your English pronunciation.
Why Are There Silent Letters?
Silent letters may seem useless but –believe it or not– they are not always redundant. They may help us in different ways:
👯 Homophones. Silent letters help us distinguish between homophones (i.e. words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings) in writing (e.g. be/bee, in/inn, lent/leant, rest/wrest, new/knew, night/knight, jam/jamb).
🗣️ Pronunciation. Even though these letters are not pronounced, they can help the reader to stress the correct syllable (e.g. physics/physiques) and also change the pronunciation of other letters (e.g. guest/gesture, rid/ride).
🗺️ Origin. Silent letters may help us better understand the origin or meaning of a word and also connect them with one another from the same family (e.g. resign-resignation, vine-vineyard).
Now that you see they’re not totally useless –at least not always– let’s check what words have silent letters. Read the list and pronounce the following terms out loud. Try to use them in a sentence, and you will see much better results in your pronunciation.
Look at the words below and read them out loud. Putting them in a sentence will help you better remember which words include silent letters.
Words With Silent B
The letter B is often silent when it is placed at the end of a word and is preceded by M (-MB).
- Aplomb
- Bomb
- Climb
- Comb
- Crumb
- Debt
- Doubt
- Dumb
- Jamb
- Lamb
- Limb
- Numb
- Plumb
- Subtle
- Succumb
- Thumb
- Tomb
- Womb
Words With Silent C
The letter C is often silent when it is placed after an S (SC).
- Abscess
- Ascend / ascent
- Conscience
- Conscious
- Crescent
- Descend
- Disciple
- Evanesce
- Fascinate
- Fluorescent
- Muscle
- Obscene
- Resuscitate
- Scenario
- Scene
- Scissors
Words With Silent D
The letter D is often silent when it is placed in the middle of a word, either after an N or before a G (-DG-, -ND-).
- Bridge
- Edge
- Handkerchief (**NOTE: in the word «hand», the D is not silent)
- Handsome
- Handful
- Grandson
- Ledger
- Sandwich
- Wednesday
Words With Silent E
Many words contain a silent E, especially at the end of a word. Usually these words end in Vowel + Consonant + Silent E. The list is very extensive; here are some examples:
- Debate
- Desire
- Excite
- Kite
- Love
- Make
- Name
In American English, we tend to drop silent E’s in some words.
- Judgement (BrE) / judgment (AmE)
- Programme (BrE) / program (AmE)
Words With Silent G
The letter G is oftentimes silent when it is placed before N, mostly when GN appears at the beginning or the end of the word. It is also usually silent when it appears before H (GH).
- Align
- Assign
- Benign
- Champagne
- Cologne
- Consign
- Design
- Feign
- Foreign
- Gnarl
- Gnash
- Gnaw
- Gnome
- Gnomic
- High
- Light
- Resign
- Sign
Words With Silent H
The letter H is sometimes silent when it is placed after C (CH) and it is always silent when it appears after some consonants (GH, WH, RH). Here are +30 words with silent H:
- Anchor
- Archeology (in BrE: archaeology)
- Architect / architecture
- Archive
- Borough
- Chaos
- Character / characteristic
- Charisma
- Chemical / chemistry / chemist
- Choreograph
- Chorus
- Christmas / Christian
- Echo
- Heir
- Herbs (**only in AmE)
- Hour
- Honest / honor
- Ghost
- Psychology
- Rhino
- Schedule (**only in AmE)
- Scheme
- School
- Tech / technology / techie
- Thai / Thailand
- Thigh
- Thorough
- Vehicle
- Weigh
- What / when / where / why / which
- White
- While
Words With Silent K
The letter K is silent when it appears at the beginning of a word followed by N (KN-).
- Knack
- Knave
- Knead
- Knee
- Kneel
- Knell
- Knickers
- Knife
- Knight
- Knit
- Knob
- Knock
- Knoll
- Knot
- Know / knew / known
- Knowledge
- Knuckle
Words With Silent L
The letter L is often silent in the combination ALF, ALM, and OULD.
- Almond
- Balm
- Behalf
- Calf
- Chalk
- Could
- Folk
- Half
- Palm
- Salmon
- Should
- Stalk
- Talk
- Walk
- Would
- Yolk
Words With Silent N
The letter N is often silent when it appears at the end of a word preceded by the letter M (-MN).
- Autumn
- Column
- Condemn
- Damn
- Hymn
- Solemn
Words With Silent P
The letter P is often silent at the beginning of a word followed by S (PS-).
- Coup
- Cupboard
- Psychology
- Pneumonia
- Pseudo
- Psychiatrist
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy
- Psychotic
- Receipt
Words With Silent T
- Apostle
- Bristle
- Bustle
- Castle
- Fasten
- Glisten
- Hustle
- Listen
- Moisten
- Often
Words With Silent U
The silent U is used to soften the letter G (GU-). It is also silent in most words with the structure -UIT or -UILT.
- Baguette
- Biscuit
- Build
- Building
- Built
- Circuit
- Disguise
- Guess
- Guest
- Guide
- Guild
- Guilt
- Guilty
- Guise
- Guitar
- Rogue
- Silhouette
Words With Silent W
The letter W is often silent when it is placed before the letter R (WR).
- Awry
- Playwright
- Sword
- Wrack
- Wrangle
- Wrap
- Wrapper
- Wrath
- Wreak
- Wreath
- Wreck
- Wrestle
- Wriggle
- Wring
- Wrinkle
- Wrist
- Writ
- Write / wrote / written
- Wrong
Keep Improving Your English Pronunciation
Some of these may sound like difficult silent words in English (or words with silent letters in them), but it’s only a matter of practice!
Download our free pronunciation guide and learn how to improve your English pronunciation. It includes video tutorials and tips to practice on your own. If you are serious about improving your pronunciation and business English, contact Talaera. We will help you find the program for you and your teams.
Keep Learning
- Talaera Free resources
- Learning Business English? +20 Top Tips You Need To Know
- How To Pronounce The Most Difficult English Sounds Correctly
- How To Improve Your English Pronunciation [Free Guide]
- How To Effectively Reduce Your Accent in English!
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We all know that English is not an easy language to learn. It can even prove to be difficult and confusing for students who have a background in two or more languages!
For many students, however, it is the pronunciation that causes most of the problems.
It is evident that there are some very common pronunciation issues that people face when learning English as a second language. This isn’t such a bad thing, as it means we know exactly which areas to target to make these difficulties easier to overcome.
One prominent obstacle can be silent letters.
How Many Silent Letters Are There in English?
Silent letters are ones that you don’t pronounce when saying a word. They are written down, but you don’t say them out loud. There are numerous words with silent letters in the English language.
Let’s first go over the letters that are rarely, if ever, silent. These are: F, Q, R, V, and Y. In British English there can be some silent R’s, but that’s a matter of dialect.
So, if there are five letters that are not silent, then we can say that there are 21 silent letters in English. Here they are in alphabetical order, and with some examples:
Words with Silent B
Rule 1: B is not pronounced after M at the end of a word.
- limb
- crumb
- dumb
- comb
- bomb
- thumb
- climb
- tomb
- aplomb
- climb
- dumb
- jamb
- lamb
- limb
- numb
- plumb
- succumb
- thumb
- tomb
- womb
Rule 2: B is usually not pronounced before T at the end of a root word.**
- debt
- doubt
- debtor
- doubtful
- subtle
- subtleness
**A root word is the original word in its root form without any prefixes or suffixes attached e.g. doubt is the root word in doubtful, and the ‘ful’ is a suffix. Subtle is the root word, and ‘ness’ is a suffix.
Words with Silent C
Rule 1: C is not pronounced in the combination SC.
- muscle
- scissors
- ascent
- miscellaneous
- fascinate
- scenario
- abscess
- conscience
- conscious
- crescent
- descend
- disciple
- evanesce
- fluorescent
- obscene
- resuscitate
- scene
- Exceptions: Sclera, asclepiad, sclerosis, muscovado, sceptic
Rule 2: C is usually redundant before the letters K or Q.
- acquaintance
- acknowledge
- acquiesce
- acquit
Words with Silent D
Rule 1: D is not pronounced in the following common words:
- handkerchief
- Wednesday
- sandwich
- handsome
- grandson
Rule 2: D is also not pronounced in the combination DG.
- pledge
- bridge
- edge
- ledger
- dodge
- grudge
- hedge
Words with Silent E
Rule: E is not pronounced at the end of words, but instead elongates the sound of the vowel before it.
- hope
- drive
- gave
- write
- site
- grave
- bite
- hide
- debate
- desire
- excite
- kite
- love
- make
- name
- Exceptions: Giraffe, brunette, cassette, gazelle (You may be able to spot a pattern in these words; they have similar combinations in the last syllable. This shows that the exceptions are generally words with unusual stress on the final syllable – but not always! One example would be the word ‘minute’ as in the time-measuring unit.)
Words with Silent G
Rule: G is not often not pronounced when it comes before N.
- champagne
- foreign
- sign
- feign
- foreign
- design
- align
- cognac
- align
- assign
- benign
- champagne
- cologne
- consign
- gnarl
- gnash
- gnaw
- gnome
- gnomic
- high
- light
- resign
- Exceptions: Magnet, igneous, cognitive, signature
Words with Silent GH
Rule 1: GH is not pronounced when it comes after a vowel.
- thought
- drought
- through
- thorough
- borough
- daughter
- light
- might
- sigh
- right
- fight
- weigh
- weight
- Exceptions: Doghouse, foghorn, bighead (As you can see, the exceptions are generally compound words i.e. words that have been formed by combining two complete words)
Rule 2: GH is sometimes pronounced like F.
- rough
- tough
- laugh
- enough
- cough
- clough
- draught
- Exceptions: Examples from rule 1!
Words with Silent H
Rule 1: H is not pronounced when it comes after W (n.b. some speakers whisper the H before the W).
- what
- when
- where
- whether
- why
- white
- while
- weigh
Rule 2: H is not pronounced at the beginning of many words (remember to use the article “an” with unvoiced H).
- hour
- honest
- honor
- heir
- ghost
- psychology
- schedule
- scheme
- school
- vehicle
- thigh
- Exceptions: hill, history, height, happy, hereditary (Plus most other words beginning with H that are NOT of French origin – and remember to use the article “a” with voiced H)
Rule 3: H is often not pronounced when it comes after C, G or R.
- choir
- chorus
- ghastly
- ghoul
- aghast
- echo
- rhinoceros
- rhythm
Words with Silent K
Rule: K is not pronounced when it comes before N at the beginning of a word.
- knife
- knee
- know
- knock
- knowledge
- knead
- knack
- knight
- knit
- knob
- knock
- knot
- knuckle
Words with Silent L
Rule: L is not pronounced after the vowels A, O and U.
- calm
- half
- talk
- walk
- would
- should
- could
- calf
- salmon
- yolk
- chalk
- folk
- balm
- almond
- behalf
- folk
- palm
- stalk
- Exceptions: Halo, bulk, sulk, hold, sold, fold, mould
Words with Silent N
Rule: N is not pronounced when it comes after M at the end of a word.
- autumn
- hymn
- column
- solemn
- dawn
Words with Silent P
Rule: P is not pronounced at the beginning of many words using the combinations PS, PT and PN.
- Psychiatrist
- pneumonia
- pneumatic
- psychotherapy
- psychotic
- psychologist
- pseudonym
- Pterodactyl
- receipt
- cupboard
Words with Silent PH
Rule: PH is sometimes pronounced like F.
- telephone
- paragraph
- alphabet
- epiphany
- sophomore
Words with Silent S
Rule: S is not pronounced before L in the following words:
- Island
- isle
- aisle
- islet
Words with Silent T
Rule: T is not pronounced in these common words:
- Castle
- Christmas
- fasten
- listen
- often
- whistle
- thistle
- bustle
- hasten
- soften
- rapport
- gourmet
- ballet
- bristle
Words with Silent U
Rule: U is not pronounced when it comes after G and before a vowel.
- guess
- guidance
- guitar
- guest
- guild
- guard
- baguette
- biscuit
- build
- building
- circuit
- guide
- guilty
- rogue
- silhouette
Words with Silent W
Rule 1: W is not pronounced at the beginning of a word when it is before the letter R.
- wrap
- write
- wrong
- wring
- wreck
- wrestle
- wrack
- wrist
Rule 2: W is not pronounced in the following words:
- Who
- whose
- whom
- whole
- whoever
- answer
- sword
- two
List of Words with Silent Letters
- A: logically
- B: climb, comb
- C: acquire, muscle
- D: bridge, edge
- E: date, name
- G: high, sign
- H: heir, honest
- I: business
- J: hallelujah, marijuana
- K: knife, know
- L: calf, talk
- M: mnemonic
- N: damn, hymn
- O: colonel
- P: corps, pneumonia
- S: debris, island
- T: ballet, listen
- U: guess, guilt
- W: answer, two
- X: faux pass
- Z: rendezvous
What Are Silent Letters Called?
Silent letters are just called silent letters. In some slang terms, they are also called dummy letters. There is no linguistic or phonetic name for silent letters, except silent letters.
Rules of Silent Letters
This list contains most of the common silent letters and combinations that cause difficulties for English learners. Here are the rules to help you understand when to use some silent letters, but remember there are usually some exceptions!
(Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all the rules around silent letters, only some of the most common ones that you may come across).
Check your Grammar ››
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Words with Silent Letters at the Beginning
There are over 90 words in English that start with a silent letter. Here are some of them.
- pseudoephedrine
- ptosis
- pterion
- pterygium
- psilophyte
- gnomonist
- gnomonic
- gnomonics
- gnotobiotic
- gnosticism
- gnu
- wrench
- wrested
- writing
- written
- writ
- wright
- wrought
- wroth
- wrathful
- wrangling
- wrangler
- wrangle
- wretch
- wreath
- wretched
- gnostic
- wrestling
- wrestle
- wrest
- writhe
- wryneck
- wraith
- wry
- psychrotrophic
- psychrometer
- wrist
- honest
- homage
- knurl
- heir
- knur
- psalm
- pteranodon
- wrath
- write
- wrap
- who
- wrinkle
- wren
- psychiatry
- psychology
- psychosis
- psychic
- pterodactyl
- pneumonia
- knick-knack
- herb
- honor
- hour
- gnomon
- gnome
- knight
- knee
- knob
- gnaw
- gnat
- gnarly
- czar
- aisle
- chthonic
- mnemonic
Silent Letters for Grade 1
Start with the silent letter e, because it appears in easy words.
Example:
- Cake, pie, skate, stove, plane, shoes, kite, lemon, cane.
Make an exercise where the students have to fill in the word under a picture:
C_k_ / P_ _ / S_at_ / Pl_n_ / S_o_ _ / K_t_ / L_mo_ / C_n_
Then you can ask them which letters they do not hear. You can then explain that those are silent letters, and one of them is the letter e. You can use various examples.
Silent Letters for Grade 2
Start with the letter h, and use harder examples.
Example:
- Honest, hour, school, stomach, what, when, ache.
Make sure to use words that the students know, and then show them how the words have silent letters. H is a very common silent letter, so ask them to add more examples of words that have a silent h.
- Echo, technology, where, when, chrome, character, anchor, ghost, etc.
Silent Letters for Grade 3
Use the letters t and u. These letters appear next to each other in the alphabet, and they can be silent in various places in a word.
Example:
- Castle, butcher, match, often, rustle, watch, whistle, soften, scratch.
Ask your students to write down the words when you pronounce them, see if they wrote them with the letter t. From there you can move to the letter u.
- Biscuit, guess, guitar, tongue, guard, guest, building.
See if the students have written them with the letter u. From there you can explain how various letters can be silent, and how they can appear in different places within a word.
Silent Letters for Kindergarten
The easiest silent letter is k, so start with those examples.
Example:
- Knife, knee, know, knob, knock, knuckle, knight, knot, etc.
Tell your students that the words are written with a k at the start, but the letter is not pronounced. Use examples with k, and make sure the students pronounce the words correctly.
Silent Letters gn, kn, wr list
- GN: gnaw, gnat, gnash, gnarl gnome, sign, reign, foreign, sovereign, design, campaign, align, assign
- KN: knack, knee, kneel, knife, know, knight, knuckle, knit, knob, knot
- WR: wrangle, wrap, wreath, wrench, wreck, wrestle, wriggle, wring, write, wrong
Silent Letters Before N
The two most common letters that are silent before the letter n are K and G.
- Knack, gnaw, knee, gnash, knock, align, assign, knuckle, knob, design, gnome, knife, knowledge, campaign, etc.
Silent Letters Activity
Why are Silent Letters Used in English?
You may think that silent letters can’t be all that important if they’re not pronounced, but as a matter of fact, they make a HUGE difference to the meaning of words, and sometimes, they even have the power to change their pronunciation!
🥁 When Were Silent Letters Invented?
If you look into the history of this language, you will see that about 90% of English used to be phonemic (this means that the words sounded the same as they looked). There were hardly any silent letters at all, but this soon began to change around the 15th century.
Many words from other languages were introduced into English, to make it look more Latin or French. This caused problems as the new words didn’t follow the same rules of grammar as English! That is why, even though the spelling was already fixed for those words, some letters became silent.
🥁 Why do Silent Letters Exist?
The Latin alphabet was also adapted into the English language, and so there are only 26 letters to represent approximately 41 different significant sounds. For this reason, an attempt to use combinations of letters to represent sounds was introduced, thus ensuring that all the major sounds in English were covered.
This does make silent letters quite interesting, as you can see the history of each word in the way it is spelt, and track its origins!
As time passed, pronunciation continued to change, but the old spelling was preserved by the printing press, which came to England around the Middle English period. That’s why there are words that end in a silent ‘e’, or have other silent letters in the middle, such as ‘fright’.
Now, modern day English is only 40% phonemic!
- WRITE
- KNEE
- KNOCK
- LAMB
- WRIST
- HALF
- PLUMBER
- PSYCHOLOGY
- AISLE
- DAUGHTER
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Now I bet you’re thinking – “I hate spelling! This will make learning English even harder!” I can assure you; it’s not that bad, really.
As I mentioned before, around 60% of English words contain silent letters, so it is important to know how to spot them, when they can be pronounced and when they cannot.
It could also cause problems if you are trying to find a word in a dictionary by the ‘sound’ of it, and not realizing that it has a silent letter in it!
Let’s use the word ‘knowledge’ as an example, if you didn’t know how to spell this word, you might look under the letter ‘N’ in a dictionary!
What are the Rules for Silent Letters in English?
Don’t worry too much, there is (sort of) a ‘solution’ ….there are some rules that explain which letters are supposed to be silent, before and after certain letters (the only ‘minor’ issue about this is that, like all English rules – there are usually some exceptions!).
Once you start practising these rules and use any new vocabulary that you learn, it will become easier to remember which letters are silent in some words, and in which words they are supposed to be pronounced.
Silent letters are not there to confuse you, even though you may think so! Identifying and understanding them will undoubtedly improve your spelling, speaking and writing skills, as well as boost your confidence!
🥁 Helpful Uses of Silent Letters
They can be beneficial for readers, when having to distinguish between homophones (these are words that have the same sound, but different definitions and different spelling). Some examples of homophones are
- know/no, knot/not, their/there/they’re, band, banned and to/too/two.
Silent letters can change the pronunciation of words, even though they are silent! For example,
- sin/sign, grim/grime, cop/cope, and rat/rate.
So it is very beneficial to know where they are and when they are used, as they’ll help you to work out the meaning of the word!
The letter ‘H’, when pronounced alone, should sound like ‘aitch’, but when used at the start of most words beginning with H, it uses its pronounced sound (e.g. hotel, house, ham), BUT it is usually silent in words that are of French origin such as
- hour, honest, heir, and honour.
If Etymology (the origin of words) interests you, then you’ll find learning silent letters very fascinating, as they provide so much information about the history of words!
The magic ‘e’ is another one of course! If you add ‘e’ at the end of words with short vowel sounds, it elongates the sound of the vowel, some examples would be:
- tap/tape, mat/mate, rid/ride, con/cone and fin/fine.
Check your Grammar ››
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If you really want to improve your English and grow to love spelling, I would recommend you take an interest in the words you are learning. Try to understand the background of the words, think about how and why they’re spelt the way they are, and discover the logic behind them!
This is a great way of understanding, and in turn, remembering any new vocabulary that you learn, but it is especially helpful with silent letters.
🥁 How to Identify Silent Letters in English?
Identifying silent letters in English is not something you can do without practice. There are two ways to identify them. One is by listening to the pronunciation, and the other is finding them directly in a written text.
In order to know which letters are silent you have to know how to pronounce them. Identifying silent letters is most commonly done by listening, and then writing. When you know how the word is spoken you will know which letters are silent.
When you’ve been practicing for a while and know how to pronounce words with silent letters, you’ll be able to recognize them in a text immediately. Without knowing the pronunciation beforehand it may be hard to recognize the silent letters.
So, to be able to identify silent letters you need to practice you pronunciation. You have to be able to pronounce the words correctly. Once you’ve practiced enough you’ll be able to identify all the silent letters in written form too.
🥁 How to Teach Silent Letters?
Silent letters are very frequent in English, and there are numerous exercises and ways to teach them. Because silent letters are different and so many words have them it’s not easy to teach silent letters. You can’t just learn them by heart, so you have to develop a vocabulary and understanding.
One of the best ways to start teaching silent letters is to first make sure your students understand what they are. You need to explain that not all letters are pronounced when saying a word, and that they are only for written spelling. When your students know that you can start using various exercises to teach them how to identify silent letters.
A good exercise to start with is a written test where students have to determine which letters are silent. This is a good way for them to get used to seeing more letters in words than they have to pronounce. This is also a good way to teach silent letter because the students won’t have to pronounce the words first, which means they don’t have to be shy about speaking the words wrong.
Example:
- Determine which letters are silent in the following words:
- ascent / ledger / cupboard / knuckle / autumn / sword / guess / listen / chaos / would
When your students are finished determining the letters you can complete the exercise by checking their results. This is a great opportunity to continue with another important step in teaching silent letters. After the students have worked with written words, it’s time for them to pronounce them.
Pronunciation is the most important lesson when teaching silent letters. Before you can start practicing that it is important to prepare students. Let your students know that there are many words with silent letters, and that they have to practice in order to learn how to pronounce them.
It is often best to start by pronouncing the words you used in written exercises. Make sure the teacher pronounces the words first, and then the students follow. Teaching silent letters takes time, and practice, so give your students good examples they can follow.
Another way to continue teaching silent letters is to choose one letter and start from there. Instead of having multiple examples, you can just have one letter in different words. That way your students can practice, and expand later on.
Example:
- knack, knave, kneel, knead, knee, knew, knickers, knife, knight, knit, knob, knock, knoll, knot, know, knowledge, knuckle
K is one of the most famous silent letters in English, and a lot of students know it. This is a good starting point. From here you can continue to work with other letters.
Since k is silent in front of the letter n, you can choose other examples that are the same. This way students will be able to identify the silent letter in front of n more often. G is another letter that is silent in front of n.
Example:
- align, assign, resign, design, benign, sign, gnaw, gnome, foreign, etc.
When teaching silent letters in English always use similar examples so that your students can remember them easier. Make sure to pronounce all the words, and practice finding them in writing and saying them out loud. Teaching silent letters in English works best when combining written and spoken exercises.
🥁 Silent Letters Exercise:
See if you can figure out how many words that contain silent letters there are in this paragraph (Please note – not all the words have been used as examples in this blog, that would be too easy..!):
It is undoubtedly a tough skill to acquire, you may even consider condemning this language, with all its oddities and words that are spelt the same but do not rhyme! I hope whoever attempts to decipher and recognise silent letters is successful and manages to train their tongue to listen to the sounds, ignore the unspoken ghosts and soften their speech. Also, that they are able to talk with folk in any matter, may it be business or pleasure, with dialogue as that of a native speaker. So grab your friend’s wrist and practise until your brain feels numb! If you try hard enough, fluent you will become!
How to Explain Silent Letters to a Child?
To explain silent letter to a child you have to be patient. A child does not easily work with something as complex as silent letters. To children, a language that has extra letters you don’t read may seem stupid.
The best way to explain silent letters to a child is through examples. Depending on the child’s age and skill level they can already know something about the topic. If they don’t know a thng about silent letters, then start with some basic examples like:
- knee, knife, gnome, autumn, etc.
These are very famous examples, so first tell the child the word, and then show it written down. They should recognize that there are extra letters in written form. Then you can start explaining that those are silent letters.
Be patient and always make sure to pronounce the words correctly. Let the child repeat after you. Once they know how to correctly pronounce the word you can start explaining what silent letters are, and why they exist.
One way to bring this topic closer to a child is by comparing silent letters to similar silent letters in the child’s native language. If your native language also has silent letters, tell the child that English does too. There are many languages where the pronunciation is not the same as the written word.
If the child’s native language has no silent letter then explain why the English language does. Start by telling the child that English is not the only language that has silent letters. French is another example.
To explain silent letters to a child make sure they understand that silent letters are not unnecessary. Because English was created from other languages, and has their influence, there are multiple letters in various words to show you how they are pronounced.
The child has to understand that these letters are necessary. They have to practice proper pronunciation, and after a while the silent letters won’t seem stupid to them anymore.
Where Do Silent Letters Come From?
Silent letters come from languages that have used them over the course of history. Some languages have had silent letters since their beginning, and in others silent letters evolved over the course of history. Silent letters don’t come from one singular source.
There are multiple sources where silent letters come from. Two languages that are famous for having silent letters are French and Italian. In those languages, the silent letters denote the proper pronunciation.
In other languages, silent letters come from umlauts, which are two letters that fuse into one. In Germanic and Scandinavian languages letters like ae, sch, oe, ue, and others become ä, ö ü, or ß. These are the ancestors of silent letters.
So, silent letters come from different languages all across the world. In English the exist because other languages had a great deal of influence over English.
When were Silent Letters Invented?
🥁 Examples of the Origins of Words
- The origin of silent ‘k’ and ‘g’ in words such as gnaw, gnat, knee and knife:
These are examples of Viking words with letters that used to be pronounced, so they are still spelt the same way, but the pronunciation has changed. Although these letters are silent, they remain so that you can see their history and origin. In Sweden, they still pronounce the ‘k’ in their word for knife (kneefe)!
- Why the word island has a silent ‘s’ in it:
Apparently the word ‘island’ comes from Middle English, and was always pronounced the way it is today. It used to be spelt in a different way, without a silent letter, but the spelling was modified during the 15th century because of the word ‘isle’ that was borrowed from the French.
- The origins of the words with silent ‘gh’ like daughter, and why the ‘gh’ in enough and rough is pronounced with a /f/ sound:
This is one of the most difficult silent letters, as it is pronounced in more ways than one! This pattern is from the Anglo Saxons, other examples are dough, bright, fight and fright.
The ‘gh’ sound used to be spelt with just the letter ‘h’, and was pronounced like the Scottish word ‘loch’ – a hard sound to pronounce! When the French invaded, they modified the spelling of these words and added the ‘g’ to make ‘gh’. This combination then either became silent or pronounced with the /f/ sound.
Here is a word that might confuse you – Hiccough is pronounced ‘hiccup’! The earliest English form of this word (in 1544) evolved into what it is in modern English today, in this order: hicket, hickot, hickock, hickop, hiccup and finally hiccough.
The last word in the series (hiccough) was apparently invented because someone thought that there should be a link between ‘cough’ and ‘hiccup’! Personally, I can’t see why!
More for you:
A BIG List of Prefixes and Suffixes and Their Meanings
When do we use the suffixes -er and -or?
How Many Languages Have Silent Letters?
There are many languages across the world that have silent letters. Many of these languages have evolved and have been influenced by history. Most languages that have silent letters use the Latin Script.
- Danish, Faroese, German, French, Indonesian, Irish (Gaelic), Norwegian, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish
Some languages that don’t use the Latin Script also have silent letters. These are Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Japanese, and Russian.
🥁 Who Invented Silent Letters?
Silent letters were not invented. One person, or more people, or even a while country, did not invent silent letters. The history and evolution of language caused silent letters to be a part of the English language.
This material contains a list of words with mute consonant letters, with phonetic transcription and Russian translation. Examples of words with the mute final vowel E are also included in the list.
Немые буквы
Данный материал содержит список слов с немыми согласными буквами, с фонетической транскрипцией и русским переводом. Примеры слов с немой конечной гласной E также включены в список.
Transcription symbols in this material
[p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g], [f], [v], [s], [z], [h], [m], [n], [l], [r], [w];
[θ], [ð], [sh], [zh], [ch], [j], [ŋ];
[i:], [i], [e], [æ], [a:], [o:], [o], [u:], [yu:], [u], [ʌ], [ə], [ər]; [ei], [ai], [au], [ou];
[æ] as in CAT, MAN; [a:] as in CAR, HARD, CALM;
[i:] as in SEE, READ, CHIEF; [i] as in SIT, IN, MYSTERY;
[ai] as in LIFE, ICE, MY, BUY; [au] as in NOW, OUT;
[e] as in GET, TEN; [ei] as in LATE, RAIN, DAY, EIGHT;
[o] as in LOT, ROB; [o:] as in FORM, ALL, CAUSE, LAW, BOUGHT;
[oi] as in TOY, BOIL; [ou] as in NO, ROAD, LOW;
[u:] as in COOL, GROUP, BLUE; [yu:] as in USE, CUTE, FEW;
[u] as in LOOK, PUT, COULD;
[ʌ] as in BUT, FUN, SON, SOME; [ə] as in AWAY, LESSON;
[ər] as in SIR, BURN, WORD, MISTER;
[ð] as in THIS, THERE; [θ] as in THICK, THANK;
[sh] as in SHE, FISH, NATION; [zh] as in USUAL, MEASURE, MIRAGE;
[j] as in JOKE, GIN, PAGE; [ch] as in CHEESE, RICH, PICTURE;
[n] as in NO, PIN, RUN; [ŋ] as in SONG, KING, BANK; [y] as in YES, YARD.
Transcription is given according to American pronunciation. (Транскрипция даётся согласно американскому произношению.)
The stress mark [‘] before a syllable indicates the syllable with primary stress; [,] indicates secondary stress. (Знак ударения [‘] перед слогом указывает слог с главным ударением; [,] указывает второстепенное ударение.)
Silent B
lamb [læm] (ягнёнок); lambs [læmz] (ягнята);
jamb [jæm] (косяк двери; боковая подпорка);
climb [klaim] (взбираться); climbed [claimd] (взобрался);
limb [lim] (конечность); limbs [limz] (конечности);
bomb [bom] (бомба); bombs [bomz] (бомбы); bomber [‘bomər] (бомбардировщик);
comb [koum] (расчёска; причесать); combed [koumd] (причесал);
tomb [tu:m] (надгробие, гробница); tombstone [‘tu:mstoun] (надгробная плита);
womb [wu:m] (анатом.: матка);
crumb [krʌm] (крошка); But: crumble [‘krʌmbəl], [‘krʌmbl] (крошиться);
dumb [dʌm] (немой); dumbness [‘dʌmnis] (немота); dumbbell [‘dʌmbel] (гантель, гиря); dumbhead [‘dʌmhed] (сленг: тупица);
numb [nʌm] (онемевший); numbness [‘nʌmnis] (онемение);
plumb [plʌm] (отвес);
plumber [‘plʌmər] (слесарь-сантехник); plumbing [‘plʌmiŋ] (водопроводная система);
succumb [sə’kʌm] (не устоять, уступить);
thumb [θʌm] (большой палец руки); thumbnail [‘θʌmneil] (ноготь большого пальца; уменьшенное изображение);
debt [det] (долг); debtor [‘detər] (должник);
doubt [daut] (сомнение); doubting [‘dautiŋ] (сомневающийся);
subtle [‘sʌtl], [‘sʌtəl] (тонкий, неявный); subtlety [‘sʌtlti], [‘sʌtəlti] (тонкость); subtly [‘sʌtli] (тонко).
Silent C
Connecticut [kə’netikət] (Коннектикут);
indict [in’dait] (предъявлять обвинение в суде); indictment [in’daitmənt] (обвинительный акт);
victuals [‘vitlz] (провиант, провизия, продовольствие); to victual [‘vitl] (снабжать провиантом);
corpuscle [‘ko:rpəsəl], [‘ko:rpʌsl] (частица); But: corpuscular [ko:r’pʌskyulər] (корпускулярный);
muscle [‘mʌsəl], [‘mʌsl] (мускул, мышца); But: muscular [‘mʌskyələr], [‘mʌskyulər] (мускулистый).
Note: The combination SC represents the sound [s] before the vowels E, I, Y and the sound [sk] before the vowels A, O, U and before consonants. Compare: scene [si:n] – score [sko:r]. See Spelling Patterns for Consonants (4. LETTER C: sounds [s], [k]) in the section Writing.
Примечание: Сочетание SC передает звук [s] перед гласными E, I, Y и звук [sk] перед гласными A, O, U и перед согласными. Сравните: scene [si:n] – score [sko:r]. См. Spelling Patterns for Consonants (4. LETTER C: sounds [s], [k]) в разделе Writing.
Silent CH
yacht [yot] (яхта); yachtsman [‘yotsmən] (яхтсмен);
yachting [‘yotiŋ] (плавание на яхте; яхтенный спорт; парусный спорт).
Silent D
handkerchief [‘hæŋkərchi:f] (носовой платок);
handsome [‘hænsəm] (красивый);
Wednesday [‘wenzdei] (среда).
Silent E
Note: The mute vowel E at the end of the syllable makes this syllable open. Final E is not pronounced, except in some words of foreign origin: apostrophe [ə’postrəfi], catastrophe [kə’tæstrəfi], cafe [kæ’fei], psyche [‘saiki].
Примечание: Немая гласная E в конце слога делает этот слог открытым. Конечная E не произносится, кроме как в некоторых словах иностранного происхождения: apostrophe [ə’postrəfi] (апостроф), catastrophe [kə’tæstrəfi] (катастрофа), cafe [kæ’fei] (кафе), psyche [‘saiki] (душа).
late [leit] (поздний); lately [‘leitli] (за последнее время);
race [reis] (гонка), racehorse [‘reis ho:rs] (скаковая лошадь);
save [seiv] (спасать); saved [seivd] (спас);
life [laif] (жизнь); lifeless [‘laiflis] (безжизненный);
drive [draiv] (вести машину); driveway [‘draivwei] (подъездная дорога к дому);
note [nout] (отмечать; заметка); notebook [‘noutbuk] (тетрадь);
more [mo:r] (больше); care [keər] (заботиться); hire [‘haiər] (нанимать);
use [yu:s] (польза); useful [‘yu:sfəl] (полезный);
blue [blu:] (синий); blueprint [‘blu:print] (схема);
clue [klu:] (подсказка, ключ);
lie [lai] (лежать; лгать); tie [tai] (связывать);
dye [dai] (краситель; окрашивать); toe [tou] (палец ноги).
Silent G
Silent G in words like «gnome»
gnash [næsh] (скрежетать зубами);
gnat [næt] (комар, мошка);
gnaw [no:] (грызть); gnawing [‘no:iŋ] (грызущий; терзающий, ноющий);
gnome [noum] (гном);
gnostic [‘nostik] (относящийся к знанию; гностический); gnosis [‘nousis] (гностицизм);
But: agnostic [æg’nostik] (агностик; агностический); agnosticism [æg’nostisizm] (агностицизм);
gnu [nu:] (антилопа гну).
Silent G in words like «foreign»
campaign [cæm’pein] (кампания);
champagne [shæm’pein] (шампанское);
foreign [‘fo:rin], [‘forin] (иностранный); foreigner [‘fo:rinər], [‘forinər] (иностранец);
feign [fein] (притворяться, симулировать);
reign [rein] (царствование; царствовать);
sovereign [‘sovrin] (верховный правитель; суверенный);
sign [sain] (знак); But: signature [‘signəchər] (подпись);
assign [ə’sain] (назначать); assignment [ə’sainmənt] (назначение; задание); But: assignation [,æsig’neishən] (назначение; условленная встреча);
design [di’zain] (замысел; дизайн); But: designation [,dezig’neishən] (обозначение);
resign [ri’zain] (уходить в отставку); But: resignation [,rezig’neishən] (отставка);
benign [bi’nain] (благоприятный; доброкачественный);
malign [mə’lain] (пагубный); But: malignant [mə’lignənt] (злокачественный);
diaphragm [‘daiəfræm] (диафрагма);
phlegm [flem] (слизь, флегма); But: phlegmatic [fleg’mætik] (флегматичный);
paradigm [‘pærədaim] (парадигма).
Silent GH
Silent GH at the end of words
high [hai] (высокий);
sigh [sai] (вздыхать);
thigh [θai] (бедро);
weigh [wei] (весить; взвешивать);
neighbor (AmE), neighbour (BrE) [‘neibər] (сосед);
dough [dou] (тесто);
though [ðou] (хотя; тем не менее);
through [θru:] (сквозь, через);
thorough [‘θʌrou], [‘θʌrə] (тщательный); thoroughly [‘θʌrəli] (тщательно);
plough [plau] (плуг; пахать);
bough [bau] (сук, ветвь);
slough [slau] (болото, трясина, топь);
But: cough [ko:f], [kof] (кашель; кашлять); laugh [læf] (смеяться); enough [i’nʌf] (достаточно); rough [rʌf] (грубый); tough [tʌf] (жесткий); slough [slʌf] (сброшенная кожа змеи; струп).
Silent GH in words like «bought, caught»
bought [bo:t] (купил – прошедшее время от buy);
brought [bro:t] (принёс – прош. вр. от bring);
fought [fo:t] (сражался, воевал – прош. вр. от fight);
ought to [‘o:tə] (следовало бы);
sought [so:t] (искал; пытался найти – прош. вр. от seek);
thought [θo:t] (думал – прош. вр. от think);
drought [draut] (засуха);
caught [ko:t] (поймал – прош. вр. от catch);
taught [to:t] (научил – прош. вр. от teach);
distraught [di’stro:t] (в смятении; обезумевший);
But: draught [dræft], [dra:ft] (тяга; нацеживание; сквозняк); Note: AmE draft (сквозняк).
Note: BrE draughts [dra:fts] (игра в шашки); AmE checkers (игра в шашки).
haughty [‘ho:ti] (высокомерный; заносчивый);
daughter [‘do:tər] (дочь);
slaughter [‘slo:tər] (бойня, резня; забой скота);
But: laughter [‘læftər], [‘la:ftər] (смех).
Silent GH in words like «bright, eight»
bright [brait] (яркий; сообразительный);
fight [fait] (сражаться, воевать; бой, борьба; ссора);
flight [flait] (полет);
fright [frait] (испуг);
knight [nait] (рыцарь);
light [lait] (свет);
might [mait] (мощь; мог бы);
night [nait] (ночь);
right [rait] (право; правильный);
sight [sait] (зрение; вид);
tight [tait] (тугой; плотный; тесный);
straight [streit] (прямой);
eight [eit] (восемь);
freight [freit] (грузовая перевозка; груз; фрахт);
weight [weit] (вес);
height [hait] (рост, высота).
Silent H
Silent H in words like «hour, vehicle»
hour [‘auər] (час);
honor, honour [‘onər] (честь); honest [‘onist] (честный);
heir [eər] (наследник); But: inherit [in’herit] (наследовать); inheritance [in’heritəns] (наследство);
herb [hərb], [ərb] (трава, травяное растение, особенно лекарственное или ароматическое); herbal [‘hərbəl], [‘ərbəl] (травяной);
forehead [‘fo:rid], [‘fo:rhed], [‘forid] (лоб);
shepherd [‘shepərd] (пастух);
vehicle [‘vi:ikəl], [‘vi:ikl] (транспортное средство);
vehement [‘vi:əmənt] (неистовый); vehemence [‘vi:əməns] (неистовство);
John [jon]; Hannah [‘hænə]; Zachariah [,zækə’raiə];
messiah [mi’saiə] (мессия, спаситель).
Silent H in words like «ghost, rhyme»
ghost [goust] (призрак);
ghastly [‘gæstly], [‘ga:stly] (наводящий ужас);
Ghana [‘ga:nə] (Гана);
ghetto [‘getou] (гетто);
yogurt, yoghurt, yoghourt [‘yougərt] (йогурт);
rhapsody [‘ræpsədi] (рапсодия);
rhetoric [‘retərik] (риторика); rhetorical [ri’to:rikəl] (риторический);
rheumatism [‘ru:mətizm], [‘ru:mətizəm] (ревматизм); rheumatic [ru:’mætic] (ревматический);
Rhine [rain] (Рейн);
rhombus [‘rombəs] (ромб);
rhyme [raim] (рифма, стих; рифмовать);
rhythm [‘riðəm], [‘riðm] (ритм); rhythmical [‘riðmikəl] (ритмичный);
diarrhea, diarrhoea [daiə’ri:ə] (диарея, понос).
Silent H in words like «whale, when, white»
whale [weil] (кит);
what [wot] (что); why [wai] (почему); when [wen] (когда); where [weər] (где); which [wich] (который); whether [‘weðər] (ли);
But: who [hu:] (кто); whom [hu:m] (кого); whose [hu:z] (чей);
wheat [wi:t] (пшеница);
wheel [wi:l] (колесо);
whether [‘weðər] (ли);
while [wail] (в то время как);
white [wait] (белый);
whine [wain] (жалобный вой; скулить, хныкать);
whip [wip] (хлыст; хлестать);
whisper [‘wispər] (шепот; шептать);
whiskers [‘wiskərz] (усы);
whiskey, whisky [‘wiski] (виски);
whistle [‘wisəl], [‘wisl] (свисток; свистеть);
whirl [wərl] (вертеться, кружиться).
Note: In American English, «wh» in words like «whale, when, white» is pronounced [hw] or [w].
Примечание: В американском английском «wh» в словах типа «whale, when, white» произносится [hw] или [w].
Silent H in words like «exhaust, exhibit»
exhaust [ig’zo:st] (выхлоп; истощать);
exhibit [ig’zibit] (экспонат; выставлять, показывать); exhibition [eksi’bishən] (выставка);
exhilarate [ig’ziləreit] (оживлять, возбуждать);
exhort [ig’zo:rt] (побуждать; увещевать);
But: exhale [eks’heil], [ig’zeil] (выдыхать); exhume [eks’hyu:m], [ig’zu:m] (эксгумировать); exhumation [,eks hyu:’meishən] (эксгумация).
Silent K
know [nou] (знать);
knit [nit] (вязать);
knee [ni:] (колено); kneel [ni:l] (встать на колени);
knife [naif] (нож); knives [naivz] (ножи);
knight [nait] (рыцарь);
knock [nok] (стучать);
knob [nob] (шишка, бугор; шарообразная ручка двери);
knot [not] (узел);
knuckle [‘nʌkəl], [‘nʌkl] (сустав пальца);
knack [næk] (сноровка, умение);
knap [næp] (удар; дробить).
Silent L
Silent L in words like «calm, half»
calm [ka:m] (спокойный);
balm [ba:m] (бальзам);
palm [pa:m] (ладонь; пальма);
salmon [‘sæmən] (лосось);
almond [‘a:mənd], [‘æmənd] (миндаль);
alms [a:mz] (милостыня, подаяние);
psalm [sa:m] (псалм);
qualm [kwa:m], [kwo:m] (приступ сомнения, неуверенности, тревоги; приступ тошноты);
calf [kæf], [ka:f] (теленок; икра ноги); calves [kævz], [ka:vz] (телята; икры ног);
half [hæf], [ha:f] (половина); halves [hævz], [ha:vz] (половины); to halve [hæv], [ha:v] (делить пополам);
salve [sæv], [sa:v] (целебная мазь); But: salvage [‘sælvij] (спасение); salvation [sæl’veishən] (спасение).
Silent L in words like «talk, folk»
talk [to:k] (разговаривать);
walk [wo:k] (идти пешком; гулять);
stalk [sto:k] (стебель; выслеживать);
chalk [cho:k] (мел);
balk [bo:k] (препятствовать); But: Balkan [‘bo:lkən] (Балканский); bulk [bʌlk] (объём, масса; большая часть чего-то);
falcon [‘fo:lkən], [‘fælkən], [‘fo:kən] (сокол);
folk [fouk] (народный);
yolk [youk] (желток);
could [kud] (мог, мог бы); should [shud] (следовало бы); would [wud] (хотел бы);
Lincoln [‘liŋkən] (Линкольн);
solder [‘sodər], [‘soldər], [‘souldər] (припой; паять); But: soldier [‘souljər] (солдат); sold [sould] (продал).
Silent M
mnemonic [ni’monik], [ni:’monik] (мнемонический);
mnemonics [ni’moniks], [ni:’moniks] (мнемоника);
mnemotechnics [,ni:mou’tekniks] (мнемотехника).
Silent N
autumn [‘o:təm] (осень); But: autumnal [o:’tʌmnəl] (происходящий осенью; осенний);
column [‘koləm] (колонна; столб(ик); колонка); columnist [‘koləmnist], [‘koləmist] (журналист-обозреватель); But: columnar [kə’lʌmnər] (в виде колонны);
hymn [him] (гимн); hymns [himz] (гимны); But: hymnist [‘himnist] (сочинитель гимнов);
solemn [‘soləm] (торжественный); solemnly [‘soləmli] (торжественно); But: solemnity [sə’lemniti] (торжественность);
condemn [kən’dem] (осуждать, приговаривать); condemned [kən’demd] (осудил; осуждённый, приговорённый); But: condemnation [kondem’neishən] (осуждение);
damn [dæm] (проклятие; проклинать); damned [dæmd] (проклял; проклятый, ужасный); But: damnation [dæm’neishən] (проклятие, осуждение).
Silent P
pneumonia [nu’mouniə], [nyu:’mouniə] (пневмония);
pneumatic [nu’mætik], [nyu:’mætik] (пневматический);
psalm [sa:m] (псалм); psalms [sa:mz] (псалмы); psalmist [sa:mist] (сочинитель псалмов);
psychology [sai’koləgi] (психология); psychologist [sai’koləgist] (психолог);
psyche [‘saiki] (душа); psychic [‘saikik] (относящийся к душе, психике; обладающий телепатией);
psychopath [‘saikoupæθ] (психопат); psycho [‘saikou] (сленг: псих, психопат);
psychiatry [sai’kaiətri] (психиатрия); psychiatrist [sai’kaiətrist] (психиатр);
pseudonym [‘su:dənim], [‘syu:dənim] (псевдоним); pseudo [‘su:dou], [‘syu:dou] (ложный, фальшивый);
pterodactyl [,terə’dæktil] (птеродактиль); pterosaur [‘terəso:r] (птерозавр);
Ptolemy [‘toləmi] (Птолемей);
corps [ko:r] (корпус, организация); мн. число: corps [ko:rz] (корпусы, организации);
But: corpse [ko:rps] (труп); corpus [‘ko:rpəs] (свод законов; собрание сочинений; тело).
coup [ku:] (мастерский ход, удар; успешный манёвр);
coup d’etat [‘ku: dei ‘ta:] (государственный переворот);
But: coupe [ku:p], [ku:’pei] (автомобиль с кузовом купе);
cupboard [‘kʌbərd] (буфет, сервант);
raspberry [‘ræzberi], [‘ra:zbəri] (малина);
sapphire [‘sæfaiər] (сапфир);
receipt [ri’si:t] (квитанция).
Silent S
aisle [ail] (проход между рядами в театре, самолёте, магазине); aisles [ailz] (проходы между рядами);
island [‘ailənd] (остров); islands [‘ailəndz] (острова);
isle [ail] (остров); isles [ailz] (острова);
viscount [‘vaikaunt] (виконт); viscountess [‘vaikauntess] (виконтесса);
corps [ko:r] (корпус, организация); мн. число: corps [ko:rz] (корпусы, организации);
Note: The combination SC: see note for Silent C. (Примечание: Сочетание SC: см. примечание к Silent C.)
Silent T
Silent T in words like «listen, castle»
listen [‘lisən] (слушать);
glisten [‘glisən] (сверкать);
fasten [‘fæsən], [‘fa:sn] (прикреплять, пристегивать); fastener [‘fæsənər], [‘fa:sənər] (застежка; крепление); But: fast [fæst] (быстрый; крепкий);
hasten [‘heisən] (спешить, торопить); But: haste [heist] (спешка);
often [‘ofən] (часто);
soften [‘sofən] (смягчать); But: soft [soft] (мягкий);
moisten [‘moisən] (увлажнять); But: moist [moist] (влажный); moisture [‘moischər] (влага, влажность); moisturizer [‘moischəraizər] (увлажнитель);
christen [‘krisən] (крестить, давать имя); Christmas [‘krisməs] (Рождество); But: Christ [kraist] (Христос); Christian [‘krischən] (христианский);
apostle [ə’posəl], [ə’posl] (апостол);
castle [‘kæsəl], [‘ka:sl] (замок, дворец);
bustle [‘bʌsəl], [‘bʌsl] (суматоха; шумно, энергично действовать);
hustle [‘hʌsəl], [‘hʌsl] (толкотня, суета; толкаться);
rustle [‘rʌsəl], [‘rʌsl] (шелест; шелестеть);
nestle [‘nesəl], [‘nesl] (уютно примоститься, угнездиться; прильнуть); nestling [‘nesliŋ], [‘nestliŋ] (птенчик, неоперившийся птенец);
bristle [‘brisəl], [‘brisl] (щетина);
whistle [‘wisəl], [‘wisl] (свисток; свистеть); whistling [‘wisliŋ] (свист; свистящий);
wrestle [‘resəl], [‘resl] (борьба; бороться); wrestler [‘reslər] (борец); wrestling [‘resliŋ] (спорт: борьба);
mistletoe [‘misəltou], [‘misltou] (омела белая);
chestnut [‘chesnʌt], [‘chesnət] (каштан);
mortgage [‘morgij] (заклад; залог; закладная; ипотека);
Silent T in words like «beret»
ballet [bæ’lei], [‘bælei] (балет); ballets [bæ’leiz], [‘bæleiz] (балеты);
beret [bə’rei], [‘berei] (берет); berets [bə’reiz], [‘bereiz] (береты);
bouquet [bou’kei], [bu:’kei] (букет цветов; букет, аромат вина);
buffet [bə’fei], [bu’fei] (буфет; шведский стол);
fillet, filet [fi’lei], [‘filei], [‘filit] (филе мяса или рыбы); мн. число: fillets, filets [fi’leiz];
gourmet [‘gurmei], [gur’mei] (гурман);
debut [dei’byu:], [di’byu:], [‘deibyu:], [‘debyu:] (дебют); But: debutant [‘debyuta:nt] (дебютант); debutante [‘debyuta:nt] (дебютантка);
depot [‘di:pou] (депо).
Silent W
who [hu:] (кто); whom [hu:m] (кого); whose [hu:z] (чей);
whole [houl] (целый);
wrack [ræk] (разрушение);
wrangle [‘ræŋgəl], [‘ræŋgl] (яростно спорить; пасти стадо (верхом); wrangler [‘ræŋglər] (спорщик, полемист; пастух, ковбой);
wrap [ræp] (обертка; заворачивать);
wrath [ræθ] (гнев, ярость);
wreck [rek] (крушение, катастрофа; терпеть крушение);
wrench [rench] (гаечный ключ; выкручивать);
wrestle [‘resəl], [‘resl] (бороться; борьба); wrestling [‘resliŋ] (спорт: борьба);
wretch [rech] (жалкий, негодный человек);
write [rait] (писать); written [‘ritn], [‘ritən] (письменный; написанный);
wrist [rist] (кисть руки);
wrinkle [‘riŋkəl], [‘riŋkl] (морщина; морщить);
wriggle [‘rigəl], [‘rigl] (извилина; извиваться);
wrong [ro:ŋ] (неправильный);
wry [rai] (перекошенный, искажённый);
sword [so:rd] (меч); But: swan [swon] (лебедь); swamp [swomp] (болото);
answer [‘ænsər] (ответ; ответить);
two [tu:] (два); But: twice [twais] (дважды); twenty [‘twenti] (двадцать); twins [twinz] (близнецы);
Greenwich [‘grinij], [‘grinich] Гринвич.
Silent Letters Words!
Here is the list of 100+ words with their silent letters mentioned.
we have tried our best to cover the complete list of silent letter words.
Silent letters are the most important building block of English pronunciation, and we must focus on silent letters. It enhances our vocabulary skills. Let us first discuss what are silent letters. It enhances our vocabulary skills.
What are the words of the Silent letter?
Silent letters include b, c, e, h, k, n, p, s, u, and w, while silent letter combinations include ‘gh’. Each one is associated with its own rules and exceptions.
| Acquire | c |
| Adjacent | d |
| Adjudge | d |
| Adjust | d |
| Adjutant | d |
| Aisle | s |
| Alms | a |
| Answer | w |
| Apropos | s |
| Articulate | r |
| Artistically | a |
| Asthma | t |
| Autumn | n |
| Ballet | t |
| Balm | l |
| Benign | g |
| Bomb | b |
| Bourgeois | s |
| Breathe | e |
| Bridge | d |
| Business | i |
| Calf | l |
| Calm | l |
| Castle | t |
| Champagne | g |
| Climb | b |
| Colleague | u |
| Column | n |
| Comb | b |
| Condemn | n |
| Corps | p |
| Coup | p |
| Crumbs | b |
| Damn | n |
| Debris | s |
| Debt | b |
| Depart | r |
| Design | g |
| Doubt | b |
| Dumb | b |
| Edge | d |
| Fasten | t |
| Feign | g |
| Ghost | h |
| Gnash | g |
| Gnat | n |
| Gnaw | g |
| Gourmet | t |
| Guard | u |
| Guess | u |
| Guide | u |
| Guilt | g |
| Guitar | u |
| Half | l |
| Handsome | d |
| Hasten | t |
| Hate | e |
| Heir | h |
| High | g |
| Honest | h |
| Hour | h |
| Hymn | n |
| Island | s |
| Knee | k |
| Knife | k |
| Knight | k |
| Knock | k |
| Knot | k |
| Know | k |
| Knowledge | k |
| Lamb | b |
| Light | g |
| Like | e |
| Listen | t |
| Logically | a |
| Mnemonic | m |
| Muscle | c |
| Musically | a |
| Name | e |
| Numb | b |
| Obscene | c |
| Palm | l |
| Park | r |
| Part | r |
| Party | r |
| Pneumonia | p |
| Psalm | l |
| Pseudo | p |
| Psychiatry | p |
| Psychology | p |
| Rapport | t |
| Receipt | p |
| Reign | g |
| Resign | g |
| Resignation | g |
| Ricochet | t |
| Romantically | a |
| Salmon | l |
| Sandwich | d |
| Scene | c |
| Scent | c |
| Schism | c |
| Science | c |
| Scissors | c |
| Should | l |
| Sign | g |
| Signature | g |
| Soften | t |
| Solemn | n |
| Subtle | b |
| Sword | w |
| Talk | l |
| Through | g |
| Thumb | b |
| Tomb | b |
| Tongue | u |
| Two | w |
| Wednesday | d |
| What | h |
| Whether | h |
| Who | w |
| Whole | w |
| Would | l |
| Wright | w |
| Wrist | w |
| Write | w |
| Wrong | w |
| Yolk | l |
A to Z Silent letter Words
Words with Silent A
Romantically, Artistically, Musically, Stoically, Logically
Words with Silent B
Debt, Climb, Subtle, Thumb, Numb, Crumbs, Tomb. Doubt, Comb
Words with Silent C
Acquire, Scissors, Muscle
Words with Silent D
Handsome, Edge, Sandwich, Bridge, Wednesday
Words with Silent E
Like, Hate, Breathe, Name
Words with Silent F
(No words)
Words with Silent G
Though, Through, Gnaw, Sign, High, Light, Reign, Champagne
Words with Silent H
Honest, Ghost, Heir, What, Hour, Whether
Words with Silent I
Business
Words with Silent J
(No words)
Words with Silent K
Knight, Knot, Know, Knife, Knead, Knock
Words with Silent L
Calf, Should, Half, Salmon, Would, Talk, Yolk
Words with Silent M
Mnemonic
Words with Silent N
Solemn, Column, Condemn, Autumn, Damn, Hymn
Words with Silent O
Colonel
Words with Silent P
Receipt, Coup, Psychology, Corps, Pneumonia
Words with Silent Q
(No words)
Words with Silent R
(No words in American English)
Words with Silent S
Bourgeois, Debris, Island, Apropos, Aisle
Words with Silent T
Ballet, Rapport, Castle, Gourmet, Asthma, Listen, Soften, Ricochet
Words with Silent U
Colleague, Guilt, Guitar, Tongue, Guard, Guess, Guide
Words with Silent V
(No words)
Words with Silent W
Answer, Who, Two, Sword, Wrist, Write, Whole
Words with Silent X
Faux pas
Words with Silent Y
(no words)
Words with Silent Z
Rendezvous
Infographics
How many letters are silent?
In English, there are many letters that are often silent in words. It’s difficult to give an exact count, but here are some common examples:
- The letter “k” is often silent before the letter “n” (e.g. “knight,” “know”).
- The letter “b” is often silent at the end of words (e.g. “comb,” “dumb”).
- The letter “g” is often silent before the letter “n” (e.g. “gnome,” “gnarled”).
- The letter “h” is often silent at the beginning of some words (e.g. “hour,” “honor”).
- The letter “l” is often silent in words like “palm,” “calm,” and “talk.”
- The letter “p” is often silent at the beginning of some words (e.g. “psychology,” “pterodactyl”).
- The letter “w” is often silent before the letter “r” (e.g. “wrist,” “wrong”).
Why English has silent letters?
English has many silent letters in its words, which can make the language difficult to learn and spell. There are a few different reasons why English has silent letters.
One reason is that English has borrowed words from many other languages, particularly French, which has a lot of silent letters. When these words were borrowed into English, the spelling was often kept the same, even if the pronunciation changed. For example, the French word “debt” is spelled the same in English, but the “b” is silent in English, whereas it is pronounced in French.
Another reason is that English spelling has changed over time, but the pronunciation has not always kept up with the changes. For example, the letter “k” in words like “knife” and “know” used to be pronounced, but the pronunciation changed over time and the “k” became silent.
Finally, some silent letters serve to indicate the history or origin of a word. For example, the “h” in “ghost” is silent, but it indicates that the word was originally pronounced with a “gh” sound, as it still is in some related words like “ghoul.”
Overall, the reasons for silent letters in English are varied, and they reflect the complex history of the language and its interactions with other languages over time.
Silent letters Words pdf
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This is a list of important words to learn the pronunciation of because at least one letter is spelt but not said. It is given in approximate order of when to learn them, starting with words with silent letters which are vital even for very low-level learners and ending with useful words which even very high-level learners might not know. This site also has an article on how to teach words with silent letters and worksheets on some of the words, spellings, letter combinations and silent letters in this list.
Elementary words with silent letters/ A1-level words with silent letters
answer
autumn
ballet
biscuit
buffet
build
business
Christmas
climb/ climber
could
cupboard
hour
island
knife
know/ knows/ knew
listen
raspberry
receipt
sandwich
science/ scientist
scissors
should
Wednesday
what
when
where
which
whiskey/ whisky
white
who/ whose
why
would
wrap
wrestling
write
wrong
yoghurt
Pre-Intermediate words with silent letters/ A2-level words with silent letters
aisle
anywhere/ everywhere/ nowhere/ somewhere
bomb
built
castle
comb
exhibition
foreign/ foreigner
ghost
guarantee
guard
handkerchief
handsome
honest
iron/ ironing
knee
knit/ knitting
lamb
listener
muscle
plumber
rhyme/ rhyming
rhythm
scenery
thumb
whale
wheat
wheel/ wheelchair
whether
while
whistle
whole
wrote
Intermediate words with silent letters/ B1-level words with silent letters
acquaintance
artistically
basically
bomber
cabaret
campaign/ campaigner
chalet
column/ columnist
comically
debt
dishonest
doubt/ doubtful
exhausted/ exhausting
fascinated/ fascinating
fasten/ unfasten
gourmet
hourly
knapsack
knight/ knighthood
knock/ knocker
knot
knowledge
meanwhile
medically
mortgage
parliament
physically
politically
psychiatrist/ psychiatry
psychologist/ psychology
psychotherapy
rhino/ rhinoceros
sachet
salmon
scene
somewhat
sorbet
specifically
sword
tomb
typically
vehicle
whereabouts
whereas
whilst
whirlwind
whisper
whistle
whodunnit
wholemeal
wholesale
whom
worthwhile
wrapper
wreath
wrist
Upper Intermediate words with silent letters/ B2-level words with silent letters
acquire/ acquisition
asthma/ asthmatic
beret
bidet
breadcrumbs/ crumbs
condemn
coup
critically
cynically
damn
descend/ descent
diarrhoea/ diarrhea
dumb
elsewhere
ethically
exhaustion
exhibitor
exhilarated/ exhilarating
genetically
guardian
hasten
heir/ heirloom
honour/ honourable
hymn
isle
kneel
knickers
knob
leopard
miscellaneous
obscene/ obscenity
overwhelm/ underwhelm
playwright
pneumonia
pseudonym
psychic
reign/ reigning
rendezvous
rhetoric/ rhetorical
scent/ scented
silhouette
soften/ softener
solemn
tragically
wharf
whichever
whip/ whiplash
whisk
whiten
whoever
wholly
wrench
wrestle
wrinkle/ wrinkled/ wrinkly
Advanced and Proficiency words with silent letters/ C1- and C2-level words with silent letters
abscess
acquit/ acquittal
aghast
aplomb
apostle
apropos
arraign/ arraignment
ascend/ ascent
awhile
bourgeois
bristle/ bristly
bustle/ bustling
cachet
catacomb
chez
crochet
debris
debtor
deign
depot
diaphragm
disciple
epistle
erstwhile
exhaust
faux
feign
fluorescent
ghastly/ ghastliness
ghoul/ ghoulish
glisten/ glistening
gnarl/ gnarly
gnash
gnat
gnaw
gnome/ gnomic
gnu
gristle/ grisly
hustle/ hustler
indict/ indictment
ironically
islet
isthmus
jamb
jeopardy
jostle
knack
knackered
knave
knead
knickknack
knoll
knuckle
laissez faire
limb
mnemonic
moisten
narwhal
nestle
numb/ numbness
parliamentary
pestle
phlegm
playwright
plumb
pneumatic
pneumonic
psalm
pseud
pseudo
psyche
psycho/ psychotic
rapport
redoubt/ redoubtable
rhapsodic/ rhapsody/ rhapsodise
rheumatoid arthritis
rhinestone
rhinoplasty
rhododendron
rhombic/ rhomboid
rhubarb
ricochet
rustle/ rustler
scenario
sciatic/ sciatica
scimitar
scintilla
scintillating
scion
shipwright
solemnity
soubriquet
subtle/ subtleness
succumb
thistle
tourniquet
trestle
valet
vehement
viscount
whack
whacko
wham/ whammy
wheedle/ wheedling
wheelie
wheeze/ wheeziness
whelk
wherein
whet/ whetstone
whey
whiff/ whiffy
whim
whimper
whimsy/ whimsical
whine/ whiny
whinge
whirl
whirr
whiskers
whist
whittle
whiz
whoop/ whoopee
whoops
whoosh
whopper/ whopping
whore
womb
wraith
wrangle/ wrangler
wrath/ wrathful
wreak
wreck/ wreckage
wren
wrest
wretch/ wretched
wriggle/ wriggly
wring/ wringer
writ
writhe
wronged/ wrongful
wrought
wrung
wry