Silent Letters

The letter b is often silent when it comes after m at the end of a word or in certain endings like -mble. This silent b comes from historical pronunciation that was lost over time.

The letter k is silent when it appears before n at the beginning of a word. This silent k dates back to Old English where both sounds were once pronounced.

The letter w is silent in some words when it comes before r at the start of a word. The w was originally pronounced but disappeared in modern English speech.

The letter g is silent in certain words when it comes before n. This silent g appears in both nouns and verbs with this consonant cluster.

The letter h is silent in some words, often for historical reasons or because the word was borrowed from French. Silent h appears mostly in a set list of common words.

Certain word endings keep letters that are no longer pronounced, such as -ed in some past tense forms or -es in plurals and verbs. These silent letters can affect whether you hear an extra syllable.

Silent letters in English reflect the language’s history and can trip up learners in spelling and pronunciation. Paying attention to common patterns like silent b, k, w, g, and h will help you read and say words correctly.