Silent Letters in English
Many words in English have letters that are not pronounced but exist in spelling. Such letters are called silent. The following points provides examples of letters being silent.
Silent A:
A is not pronounced in words ending in suffix ‘-ally’
For example:
Artistically, dramatically, stoically, musically, romantically, logically
Silent B:
B is not pronounced when following ‘m’ at the end of a word and before‘t’
For example:
Climb, crumb, dumb, comb, debt, doubt
Silent C:
C is not pronounced in these common words:
For example:
Muscle, arbuscle, corpuscle, scissors, scientist
Silent D:
D is not pronounced in these common words:
For example:
Handkerchief, sandwich, Wednesday
Silent E:
When E is not pronounced at the end of the words, the preceding vowel becomes long or turns into a diphthough
For example:
Silent F:
None
Silent G:
G is often not pronounced when followed by an ‘n’
For example:
Champagne, foreign, sign, feign
Silent GH:
GH is not pronounced before‘t’ and at the end of many words
For example:
Thought, daughter, light, might, right, fight, weigh, night, sigh, high, through
Silent H:
H is not pronounced when following ‘w’
For example:
What, when, where, whether, why
H is not pronounced at the beginning of many words
For example:
Hour, honest, honour, heir
Silent I:
I is not pronounced in some words
For example:
Business, parliament
Silent J:
None
Silent K:
K is not pronounced when followed by ‘n’ at the beginning of a word
For example:
Knife, knee, know, knock, knowledge
Silent L:
L is not pronounced before‘d’, ‘f’, ‘k’, ‘m’
For example:
Would, should, half, talk, chalk, salmon, calm, psalm, almond
Silent M:
M is not pronounced followed by ‘n’
For example:
Mnemonic
Silent N:
N is not pronounced following ‘m’ at the end of a word
For example:
Autumn, hymn, solemn, condemn, damn, column
Silent O:
None
Silent P:
P is not pronounced when followed by ‘n’, ‘s’ and ‘t’
For example:
Pneumonia, psychology, psychiatrist, psychotherapy, psychotic, Thompson, receipt
Silent Q:
None
Silent R:
R in British English are ‘silent’ before consonants as in card or at the end of word as in car
For example:
World, garden, butter, finger
Silent S:
S is not pronounced before ‘I’
For example:
Island, isle, aisle
Silent T:
T is not pronounced after ‘s’ and at the end of some words of French origin
For example:
Castle, Christmas, fasten, listen, whistle, thistle, ballet, bouquet
Silent U:
U is not pronounced after ‘c’, ‘g’, and ‘q’
Silent V:
None
Silent W:
W is not pronounced at the beginning of a word followed by an ‘r’
For example:
Wrap, write, wrong
W is not pronounced at the beginning of a words followed by an ‘h’
For example:
Who, whose, whom, whole
W is not pronounced after ‘s’, ‘n’ and ‘r’
For example:
Sword, greensward, answer, Greenwich, Norwich
Silent X:
X is not pronounced in words of French origin
For example:
Sioux, faux
Silent Y:
Y is not pronounced in some words
For example:
Key, mayor, prayer
Silent Z:
Z is not pronounced in words of French origin
For example:
Rendezvous
