Some English words contain letters that you do not pronounce. In comb, the b is silent. In knee, the k is silent. In listen, the t is silent. These spellings often come from older forms of English, but modern speech leaves out the silent letter. The spoken word is shorter than the spelling suggests, so listen for the letters that stay quiet when the word is said aloud. Silent Letters gives more practice with these patterns, and Alphabet helps connect the letter names with the sounds you hear.

Silent letters at the start and end of words

Word	Notation	Description	Example
comb	b is silent	The letter b is written, but it is not pronounced.	I found a comb in my bag.
knee	k is silent	The letter k is written, but it is not pronounced.	She hurt her knee while running.
listen	t is silent	The letter t is written, but it is not pronounced.	Please listen carefully.

A final silent e often changes the vowel before it from a short sound to a long one. Compare mad and made, kit and kite, not and note. In the first word of each pair, the vowel is short. In the second, the e at the end is not pronounced, but it changes the earlier vowel. The mouth stays open a little longer for the long vowel, and the sound usually matches the letter name more closely. This pattern appears in many common words, so the final e often signals a different vowel even though it is silent. Silent Letters shows more cases where a letter is written but not said.

Silent e changing the vowel sound

Idea
A final silent e often makes the vowel say its long sound.
Without the final e, the vowel often says a short sound.

The spelling ea does not always sound the same. In meat, it usually sounds like /iː/, the same vowel as in see. In bread, it sounds like /ɛ/, the vowel in bed. In break, it sounds like /eɪ/, the long a sound. English words with ea must be learned by sound and spelling together, because the letters do not give one fixed pronunciation. The vowel is often long and clear in meat, shorter and more relaxed in bread, and closer to a glide in break. Diphthongs is useful for hearing the movement in /eɪ/.

Main pronunciations of ea in common words

Word	Notation	Description	Example
meat	ea sounds like iː	In this pattern, ea is pronounced as iː.	We ate meat for dinner.
bread	ea sounds like ɛ	In this pattern, ea is pronounced as ɛ.	I bought fresh bread today.
break	ea sounds like eɪ	In this pattern, ea is pronounced as eɪ.	We need to break the box open.

Both ee and ea can spell the long e sound /iː/. In meet and meat, the vowel sounds the same, even though the spelling is different. The mouth stays in a tense, high position for /iː/, with the lips spread slightly and the tongue raised toward the front of the mouth. Spelling is the main clue here. Ee is common in words like seen, green, and sleep, while ea also appears in words like team, leave, and eat. When you hear /iː/, both spellings are possible, so the surrounding letters and the word itself must guide the spelling.

Ee and ea spelling for the same long vowel

Word	Notation	Description	Example
meet	ee sounds like iː	The spelling ee often makes the iː sound.	We will meet after school.
meat	ea sounds like iː	The spelling ea can also make the iː sound.	I do not eat meat every day.

The sound /eɪ/ is often spelled ai or ay. In rain, train, and paint, the sound usually appears in the middle of a word as ai. In day, play, and stay, it usually appears at the end as ay. The vowel begins lower in the mouth and moves up toward a higher position, so it sounds like one vowel sliding into another. Diphthongs explains that movement clearly. When you hear /eɪ/, check whether it is inside the word or at the end, because that often points to the correct spelling.

Common spellings for the long a sound

Idea
The spelling ai usually makes the eɪ sound in the middle of a word.
The spelling ay usually makes the eɪ sound at the end of a word.

The endings tion and sion are usually pronounced /ʃən/. In nation, station, and action, the ending sounds the same even though the spelling begins with t. In decision, division, and conclusion, the sion ending also sounds /ʃən/. The sound starts with the tongue near the hard palate for /ʃ/, then quickly moves to a reduced schwa /ə/ and nasal /n/. Tion is very common after stems that end in t or a related sound, while sion often appears in words with deci-, divi-, or conclu-type endings. The spelling changes, but the pronunciation stays the same.

Common ending spellings for the shun sound

Idea
The ending tion is usually pronounced shun.
The ending sion is also often pronounced shun.

The spelling ough can represent several different sounds, so the word must be learned as a whole. In though, it sounds like /oʊ/. In cough, it sounds like /ʌf/. In through, it sounds like /uː/. In thought, it sounds like /ɔː/ or /ɑː/ depending on the accent. In bough, it sounds like /aʊ/. The same letters can point to very different vowel sounds and consonant endings, which makes this spelling one of the least predictable in English. Diphthongs helps with the moving vowel sounds in though and bough, and Silent Letters is useful when a written letter is not heard.

Common pronunciations of ough in different words

Word	Notation	Description	Example
though	ough sounds like oʊ	In this word, ough is pronounced as oʊ.	I will go, though I am tired.
cough	ough sounds like ʌf	In this word, ough is pronounced as ʌf.	He had a bad cough all night.
rough	ough sounds like ʌf	In this word, ough is also pronounced as ʌf.	The road was rough after the storm.

A final -ed has three pronunciations. After a voiceless sound, it is usually /t, as in walked and stopped. After a voiced sound, it is usually /d/, as in played and saved. After t or d sounds, it becomes /ɪd/, as in wanted and needed. The extra vowel in /ɪd/ creates another syllable, so wanted has more rhythm than played*. The final sound depends on the sound before the ending, not on the spelling alone. Listening for voicing at the end of the base word is the key to choosing the correct pronunciation.

Three sounds of past tense ed endings

Word	Notation	Description	Example
walked	ed sounds like t	After a voiceless sound, ed is pronounced as t.	She walked home.
played	ed sounds like d	After a voiced sound, ed is pronounced as d.	We played chess after dinner.
wanted	ed sounds like ɪd	After t or d, ed is pronounced as ɪd.	He wanted another slice.

Final -s and -ed endings change their sound according to voicing. After a voiceless consonant, -s is usually /s/, as in cats and books. After a voiced sound, it is usually /z/, as in dogs and keys. The same voicing pattern appears in -ed: walked ends with /t/, while played ends with /d/. A voiced sound lets the vocal cords keep vibrating, so the ending also sounds voiced. A voiceless sound stops that vibration, so the ending becomes voiceless too. Hearing the last sound of the base word tells you how the ending will sound.

Sound changes in final s and ed endings

Idea
After a voiceless sound, final s is often pronounced s.
After a voiced sound, final s is often pronounced z.
After a voiceless sound, final ed is often pronounced t.
After a voiced sound, final ed is often pronounced d.

Word stress can change meaning in pairs like record and present. As a noun, record usually has stress on the first syllable: REcord. As a verb, it usually has stress on the second syllable: reCORD. Present follows the same pattern: PREsent as a noun, preSENT as a verb. Stress makes one syllable longer, louder, and clearer than the others. English also varies in how it pronounces /r/. In many American accents, the r is pronounced in car and culture. In many British accents, the r is not pronounced after a vowel unless another vowel follows. Alphabet supports letter recognition, and Silent Letters helps when a written sound is not heard in speech.

carcarrecordrecord

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As a noun, the word record is usually stressed on the first syllableAs a noun, the word record is usually stressed on the first syllableIn many non rhotic accents, the r in car is often not pronouncedIn many rhotic accents, the r in car is clearly pronounced

Stress patterns and regional r sound differences

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
British English	record	As a noun, the word record is usually stressed on the first syllable.	That record is very old.
American English	record	As a noun, the word record is usually stressed on the first syllable.	This record belongs to my sister.
British English	car	In many non rhotic accents, the r in car is often not pronounced.	My car is parked outside.
American English	car	In many rhotic accents, the r in car is clearly pronounced.	My car needs fuel.

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