Some English words have letters that you write but do not say. These are silent letters. Silent letters change pronunciation, but the spelling stays the same.

The letter b is silent in some words at the end of a word. This often happens after the letter m. You do not pronounce the b sound, but you still write it.

Word	Notation	Description
lamb	/læm/	The final b is silent in this word.
comb	/koʊm/	The final b is silent after m in this word.
thumb	/θʌm/	The final b is silent after m in this word.
climb	/klaɪm/	The final b is silent after m in this word.

The letter k is silent in some words at the beginning. This often happens before the letter n. You say the n sound first, and you do not pronounce the k.

Word	Notation	Description
knock	/nɒk/	The first letter k is silent before n in this word.
knee	/niː/	The first letter k is silent before n in this word.
knife	/naɪf/	The first letter k is silent before n in this word.
know	/noʊ/	The first letter k is silent before n in this word.

The letter w is silent in some words at the beginning. This often happens before the letter r. You pronounce the r sound, but not the w.

Word	Notation	Description
write	/raɪt/	The first letter w is silent before r in this word.
wrong	/rɒŋ/	The first letter w is silent before r in this word.
wrist	/rɪst/	The first letter w is silent before r in this word.
wrap	/ræp/	The first letter w is silent before r in this word.

The letter t is silent in some common words. It is often silent in the middle of a word after s. You do not say the t sound, even though the letter is in the spelling.

Word	Notation	Description
listen	/ˈlɪsən/	The t is silent in the middle of this word.
castle	/ˈkæsəl/	The t is silent in the middle of this word.
whistle	/ˈwɪsəl/	The t is silent in the middle of this word.
often	/ˈɒfən/	The t is silent in this common pronunciation of the word.

Silent letters often appear at the beginning of words, such as k before n and w before r. They can also appear at the end, such as b after m. You can recognize these spelling patterns to pronounce words more accurately.

You can now recognize several common silent letters in English words. You know that some letters stay in spelling but disappear in pronunciation. This helps you say and spell many words more accurately.