Silent Letters
Spoken Description
Learn common silent letters in English—examples, rules, pronunciation tips and practice exercises. Perfect for early learners and to improve pronunciation accuracy.
Apprenez les lettres muettes courantes en anglais : exemples, règles, conseils de prononciation et exercices pratiques. Idéal pour débutants et pour améliorer votre prononciation.
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English has many silent letters from its history of borrowing and sound change, so they often signal word origin or meaning rather than pronunciation.
Why They Matter
Silent letters affect spelling, can change if two words are related, and sometimes influence poetry or word games. They also show where a word came from.
Common Silent Letters
Some letters are silent in many common words, like the k in knight, the b in debt, or the w in write. Learning these helps with spelling and recognition.
The letteris silent when it comes before n at the start of a word.
The letter ___ is silent when it comes before n at the start of a word (the letter).
Silent k
The letter k is silent when it comes before n at the start of a word, a holdover from Old English pronunciation.
Silent b
The letter b is often silent after m at the end of a word or before t, reflecting Latin and Old English origins.
Silent w
The letter w is silent when it comes before r at the start of a word, from normal sound changes in English history.
Silent gh
The sequence gh was once pronounced but is now silent or turned into /f/ in some words like laugh; in many words like night it is silent.
Silent t
The letter t is silent in some borrowed words where it used to be pronounced; it often disappears in clusters like soften or castle.
Summary
Silent letters signal a word’s history and affect spelling more than meaning; they show where a word came from even when they don’t sound.
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