Hello lovely students! Today we’re going to be learning all about silent letters, and just to warn you, there are so many English words with silent letters. I’m talking about numerous amounts.
But hey, I’m here to teach you the key ones with all the letters from A to Z.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the numerous words with silent letters in English in the comprehensive list below and why they are essential to learn.
Let’s get started.
Why are silent letters important to know?
English is a complex language for pronunciation. There are no two ways about it. Therefore knowing silent letters will help you out so much. How? Well, firstly, they’ll help you distinguish between hom*ophones.
hom*ophones are words that are pronounced the same but have a different meaning and often a different spelling. Take ‘be’ and ‘bee‘ or ‘see’ and ‘sea‘. They are entirely different.
Silent letters also help us to take a look at word origin. There are plenty of loanwords in English. Look at the Russian word tsar (with a silent ‘t’) or the phrases faux pas and laissez-faire (both of French origin). Many of these words that originally came from French / Latin have silent letters, e.g. debt, foreign. The loanwords do not follow regular English pronunciation rules, but they are used daily in our language.
Not only does knowing them help us to pronounce words, but it also allows us to read them or to differentiate what is being said when we write them down. Just say them like the silent letter is not there.
There are loads of reasons to know them. Let’s take a look at other silent letters with examples below.
Words with silent letters
Silent a
You should never pronounce the letter ‘a’ before ‘lly’ at the end of a word. All of the words below have three, not four, syllables.
| Artistically | His painting was artistically successful. |
| Romantically | They romantically held hands along the beach. |
| Logically | I’m not thinking very logically. |
| Musically | Jimi Hendrix was very musically gifted. |
Silent b
The letter ‘b’ is usually a silent letter when it is before a ‘t’ and also after ‘m’ at the end of a word. The word ‘obtain‘ is an exception to these rules.
| Climb | He climbed the mountain. |
| Lamb | It’s common to eat lamb at Easter. |
| Doubt | I doubt he will arrive on time |
| Comb | Comb your hair after getting out of the shower! |
| Debt | Getting into lots of debt is never a good thing. |
| Thumb | Stop sucking your thumb! |
| Subtle | Her green eyeshadow is not very subtle. |
| Numb | My legs go numb if I sit for too long. |
Silent c
The letter ‘c’ is usually silent after an ‘s’.
| Science | Science was my favourite subject at school. |
| Fascinating | The Science Museum in London is fascinating for children. |
| Muscle | Bodybuilders have huge muscles. |
| Scissors | I always play rock, paper, scissors if I have to decide something. |
| Scene | My favourite scene in the film Grease is the end scene. |
| Crescent | The crescent moon is beautiful. |
| Conscience | Listening to your conscience in times of doubt is a powerful thing to do. |
| Scenario | It is a strange scenario when your friends do not like each other. |
Silent d
‘D’ is usually silent when it comes before an ‘n’ or ‘g’. ‘Sandwich’ and ‘handsome’ also have a silent ‘d’, even if the ‘d’ is after the ‘n’.
| Bridge | Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a landmark. |
| Badge | I like decorating my outfits with badges. |
| Hedge | Hedges in gardens are great for privacy. |
| Edge | Move over! I feel like I am on the edge of the bed. |
| Handsome | He is so handsome! |
| Sandwich | I like eating sandwiches for lunch. |
| Wednesday | Wednesday is the worst day of the week. |
| Fudge | Fudge is a sweet that’s popular in the UK. |
Silent e
If an ‘e’ is at the end of a word, the vowel before it becomes a longer vowel sound. This was called a ‘magic e’ when I was in primary school.
| Kite | The song ‘let’s go fly a kite’ is my favourite song in Mary Poppins |
| Love | I love tacos! |
| Debate | He loves to debate over small topics |
| Desire | I have no desire to move house |
| Name | My name is Clementine |
| Make | We make dinner once a week! |
| Breathe | Breathe, and you will be fine |
| Please | Please, can you come here? |
Silent f
No words with a silent f exist in Modern RP pronunciation. However, please be aware that in some accents the word ‘fifth’ has a silent second ‘f’.
Silent g
‘G’ usually is not pronounced if it comes before an ‘n’, such as a ‘sign’. However, two exceptions are ‘magnet’ and ‘signature’, where the ‘g’ is pronounced.
It’s also not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and before an ‘h’, such as ‘high’.
| Gnome | Gnomes are not real. |
| High | Birds fly high. |
| Light | Turn on the light, please. |
| Sign | The sign says to turn left. |
| Resign | I want to resign! |
| Champagne | Champagne is a delicious drink. |
| Benign | He is a very benign person. I like him. |
| Cologne | Craig is lovely, but he wears a lot of cologne. |
Silent h
‘H’ usually is silent when it is after a ‘w’, such as ‘when’ or ‘where’. It is not silent, however, when an ‘o’ follows it like ‘who’.
Remember, when the ‘h’ is silent, use the article an instead of a.
| Echo | I used to love hearing my echo when I was a child. |
| Ache | I have a headache. |
| Monarch | King Charles III is the Monarch of England. |
| Ghost | Ghost is a great film. |
| School | I went to school there. |
| Hour | That exam lasted for 6 hours. |
| Honest | She is a very honest person |
| Character | My favourite character in Harry Potter is Hermione. |
Silent i
| Business | I went to business school after sixth form. |
Silent j
| Marijuana | Marijuana is a plant native to Asia. |
Silent k
‘K’ is almost always silent when it comes before the letter ‘n’ such as ‘knife’.
| Knife | You need to use a knife to cut an apple. |
| Knit | I knit every evening. It’s so relaxing. |
| Knot | Tie a knot! |
| Know | He knows about his surprise party. |
| Knowledge | Knowledge is power. |
| Knight | He’s my knight in shining armour! |
| Knuckle | My knuckle is very pointy. |
| Knee | I hurt my knee when I fell over. |
Top tip: the ‘g’ in knight is also silent.
Silent l
‘L’ is not usually pronounced if it comes after ‘a’, ‘o’ or ‘u’, such as in ‘talk’.
| Salmon | Smoked salmon is perfect for brunch |
| Almond | I drink almond milk instead of regular milk |
| Talk | Talk to them! |
| Should | You should really let her know you aren’t coming |
| Would | Would you like to come round? |
| Walk | Having a walk when you are stressed is a good idea. |
| Half | I would like half of your pizza |
| Calm | The sea is calm today |
Silent m
| Mnemomic | I had to invent a mnemonic object to remember things. |
Silent n
The letter ‘n’ is normally silent if it comes after ‘m’ at the end of a word.
| Autumn | Autumn is a beautiful season. The colours are vibrant. |
| Column | Trajan’s column is famous in Rome. |
| Condemn | I condemn your actions. |
| Solemn | She kept her word. She is very solemn. |
| Hymn | It’s normal to sing hymns in church. |
| Damn | Damn it! That’s so annoying. |
Silent o
| Colonel | Colonel Sanders founded the company Kentucky Fried Chicken. |
Silent p
There are a lot of rules to ‘p’, so buckle up! ‘P’ is usually silent in these combinations: ‘ps’ and ‘pn’ when they are at the beginning of words, and ‘pt’ and ‘pb’.
| Psychology | Psychology is an exciting topic. |
| Raspberry | Raspberry and chocolate cookies are my favourite. |
| Receipt | Keep your receipt. You might need it! |
| Cupboard | The glasses are in the cupboard. |
| Pneumonia | You’ll get pneumonia if you don’t go out with a coat on. |
| Pseudonym | JK Rowling sometimes goes by the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. |
Silent q
| Lacquer | Lacquer is a clear, hard coating applied to metal and wood. |
Silent r
| Iron | Irons help make clothes look well-kept. |
Silent s
The letter ‘s’ is not pronounced before the letter ‘i’.
| Aisle | I walked down the aisle on my wedding day. |
| Island | Being on a tropical island must be heaven! |
| Viscount | A viscount is a member of the nobility. |
| Debris | When the plane crashed, the land was filled with debris. |
| Bourgeois | If you are a bourgeois person, you are materialistic. |
Silent t
In words that end in ‘sten’ and ‘stle‘, ‘t’ is usually silent.
| Castle | Make sure you visit some castles in the UK when you are there. |
| Listen | Listen to what you are saying. It is nonsense! |
| Mortgage | Most people need to apply for a mortgage when they buy a house. |
| Watch | I need to buy a watch. |
| Christmas | Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. |
| Whistle | I cannot whistle. |
| Fasten | Fasten your seatbelts before the car leaves the garage, please! |
Silent u
‘U’ is usually silent after the letter ‘g’, such as ‘guide’.
| Baguette | France is great for baguettes. |
| Guess | Guess my name. |
| Guitar | I want to play the guitar. |
| Guilty | I feel guilty for taking her shoes. |
| Guide | We may need a guide if we want to explore Rome properly. |
| Tongue | Your tongue is the most powerful muscle in your body. |
| Colleague | My colleagues are great. |
Silent v
There are no words with a silent v. This is the only letter, in all accents, that refuses to be silent.
Silent w
The letter ‘w’ is not pronounced when it comes before an ‘r’, such as wrong. It is silent also when it is followed by a ‘ho‘ combination at the beginning of a word such as ‘whole‘.
| Wrong | It was wrong of you to do that. |
| Sword | Swords are weapons used in the past. |
| While | I ate a whole cake by myself! |
| Write | Tim writes in his diary every day. |
| Two | Two coffees, please. |
| Wrist | I broke my wrist playing basketball. |
| Wrapper | Put your wrapper in the bin. |
Silent x
| Faux | Faux fur coats are back in fashion. |
Silent y
| Prayer | People who are religious often say a prayer |
Silent z
| Laissez-faire | His approach was laissez-faire. |
| Rendezvous | Let’s meet at the bridge for our rendezvous. |
Is that everything?
Absolutely not! Look at the video below for more on silent letters in English.
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- Is English hard to learn?
- Pronunciation practice
- Basic English grammar in 23 steps
- 10 tips on how to improve English
