Words with silent letters in English

Hello lovely students! Today we’re going to be learning all about silent letters, and just to warn you, there are so many English words with silent letters. I’m talking about numerous amounts. 

But hey, I’m here to teach you the key ones with all the letters from A to Z.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the numerous words with silent letters in English in the comprehensive list below and why they are essential to learn.

Let’s get started.

Why are silent letters important to know?

English is a complex language for pronunciation. There are no two ways about it. Therefore knowing silent letters will help you out so much. How? Well, firstly, they’ll help you distinguish between homophones.

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have a different meaning and often a different spelling. Take ‘be’ and ‘bee‘ or ‘see’ and ‘sea‘. They are entirely different.

Silent letters also help us to take a look at word origin. There are plenty of loanwords in English. Look at the Russian word tsar (with a silent ‘t’) or the phrases faux pas and laissez-faire (both of French origin). Many of these words that originally came from French / Latin have silent letters, e.g. debt, foreign. The loanwords do not follow regular English pronunciation rules, but they are used daily in our language.

Not only does knowing them help us to pronounce words, but it also allows us to read them or to differentiate what is being said when we write them down. Just say them like the silent letter is not there.

There are loads of reasons to know them. Let’s take a look at other silent letters with examples below.

Words with silent letters

Silent a

You should never pronounce the letter ‘a’ before ‘lly’ at the end of a word. All of the words below have three, not four, syllables.

Artistically	His painting was artistically successful.
Romantically	They romantically held hands along the beach.
Logically	I’m not thinking very logically.
Musically	Jimi Hendrix was very musically gifted.

Silent b

The letter ‘b’ is usually a silent letter when it is before a ‘t’ and also after ‘m’ at the end of a word. The word ‘obtain‘ is an exception to these rules.

Climb	He climbed the mountain.
Lamb	It’s common to eat lamb at Easter.
Doubt	I doubt he will arrive on time
Comb	Comb your hair after getting out of the shower!
Debt	Getting into lots of debt is never a good thing.
Thumb	Stop sucking your thumb!
Subtle	Her green eyeshadow is not very subtle.
Numb	My legs go numb if I sit for too long.

Silent c

The letter ‘c’ is usually silent after an ‘s’.

Science	Science was my favourite subject at school.
Fascinating	The Science Museum in London is fascinating for children.
Muscle	Bodybuilders have huge muscles.
Scissors	I always play rock, paper, scissors if I have to decide something.
Scene	My favourite scene in the film Grease is the end scene.
Crescent	The crescent moon is beautiful.
Conscience	Listening to your conscience in times of doubt is a powerful thing to do.
Scenario	It is a strange scenario when your friends do not like each other.

Silent d

‘D’ is usually silent when it comes before an ‘n’ or ‘g’. ‘Sandwich’ and ‘handsome’ also have a silent ‘d’, even if the ‘d’ is after the ‘n’.

Bridge	Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a landmark.
Badge	I like decorating my outfits with badges.
Hedge	Hedges in gardens are great for privacy.
Edge	Move over! I feel like I am on the edge of the bed.
Handsome	He is so handsome!
Sandwich	I like eating sandwiches for lunch.
Wednesday	Wednesday is the worst day of the week.
Fudge	Fudge is a sweet that’s popular in the UK.

Silent e

If an ‘e’ is at the end of a word, the vowel before it becomes a longer vowel sound. This was called a ‘magic e’ when I was in primary school.

Kite	The song ‘let’s go fly a kite’  is my favourite song in Mary Poppins
Love	I love tacos!
Debate	He loves to debate over small topics
Desire	I have no desire to move house
Name	My name is Clementine
Make	We make dinner once a week!
Breathe	Breathe, and you will be fine
Please	Please, can you come here?

Silent f

No words with a silent f  exist in Modern RP pronunciation. However, please be aware that in some accents the word ‘fifth’ has a silent second ‘f’.

Silent g

‘G’ usually is not pronounced if it comes before an ‘n’, such as a ‘sign’. However, two exceptions are ‘magnet’ and ‘signature’, where the ‘g’ is pronounced.

It’s also not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and before an ‘h’, such as ‘high’.

Gnome	Gnomes are not real.
High	Birds fly high.
Light	Turn on the light, please.
Sign	The sign says to turn left.
Resign	I want to resign!
Champagne	Champagne is a delicious drink.
Benign	He is a very benign person. I like him.
Cologne	Craig is lovely, but he wears a lot of cologne.

Silent h

‘H’ usually is silent when it is after a ‘w’, such as ‘when’ or ‘where’. It is not silent, however, when an ‘o’ follows it like ‘who’.

Remember, when the ‘h’ is silent, use the article an instead of a.

Echo	I used to love hearing my echo when I was a child.
Ache	I have a headache.
Monarch	King Charles III is the Monarch of England.
Ghost	Ghost is a great film.
School	I went to school there.
Hour	That exam lasted for 6 hours.
Honest	She is a very honest person
Character	My favourite character in Harry Potter is Hermione.

Silent i

Business

I went to business school after sixth form.

Silent j

Marijuana

Marijuana is a plant native to Asia.

Silent k

‘K’ is almost always silent when it comes before the letter ‘n’ such as ‘knife’.

Knife	You need to use a knife to cut an apple.
Knit	I knit every evening. It’s so relaxing.
Knot	Tie a knot!
Know	He knows about his surprise party.
Knowledge	Knowledge is power.
Knight	He’s my knight in shining armour!
Knuckle	My knuckle is very pointy.
Knee	I hurt my knee when I fell over.

Top tip: the ‘g’ in knight is also silent.

Silent l

‘L’ is not usually pronounced if it comes after ‘a’, ‘o’ or ‘u’, such as in ‘talk’.

Salmon	Smoked salmon is perfect for brunch
Almond	I drink almond milk instead of regular milk
Talk	Talk to them!
Should	You should really let her know you aren’t coming
Would	Would you like to come round?
Walk	Having a walk when you are stressed is a good idea.
Half	I would like half of your pizza
Calm	The sea is calm today

Silent m

Mnemomic

I had to invent a mnemonic object to remember things.

Silent n

The letter ‘n’ is normally silent if it comes after ‘m’ at the end of a word.

Autumn	Autumn is a beautiful season. The colours are vibrant.
Column	Trajan’s column is famous in Rome.
Condemn	I condemn your actions.
Solemn	She kept her word. She is very solemn.
Hymn	It’s normal to sing hymns in church.
Damn	Damn it! That’s so annoying.

Silent o

Colonel

Colonel Sanders founded the company Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Silent p

There are a lot of rules to ‘p’, so buckle up! ‘P’ is usually silent in these combinations: ‘ps’ and ‘pn’ when they are at the beginning of words, and ‘pt’ and ‘pb’.

Psychology	Psychology is an exciting topic.
Raspberry	Raspberry and chocolate cookies are my favourite.
Receipt	Keep your receipt. You might need it!
Cupboard	The glasses are in the cupboard.
Pneumonia	You’ll get pneumonia if you don’t go out with a coat on.
Pseudonym	JK Rowling sometimes goes by the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Silent q

Lacquer

Lacquer is a clear, hard coating applied to metal and wood.

Silent r

Iron	Irons help make clothes look well-kept.

Silent s

The letter ‘s’ is not pronounced before the letter ‘i’. 

Aisle	I walked down the aisle on my wedding day.
Island	Being on a tropical island must be heaven!
Viscount	A viscount is a member of the nobility.
Debris	When the plane crashed, the land was filled with debris.
Bourgeois	If you are a bourgeois person, you are materialistic.

Silent t

In words that end in ‘sten’ and ‘stle‘, ‘t’ is usually silent.

Castle	Make sure you visit some castles in the UK when you are there.
Listen	Listen to what you are saying. It is nonsense!
Mortgage	Most people need to apply for a mortgage when they buy a house.
Watch	I need to buy a watch.
Christmas	Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year.
Whistle	I cannot whistle.
Fasten	Fasten your seatbelts before the car leaves the garage, please!

Silent u

‘U’ is usually silent after the letter ‘g’, such as ‘guide’.

Baguette	France is great for baguettes.
Guess	Guess my name.
Guitar	I want to play the guitar.
Guilty	I feel guilty for taking her shoes.
Guide	We may need a guide if we want to explore Rome properly.
Tongue	Your tongue is the most powerful muscle in your body.
Colleague	My colleagues are great.

Silent v

There are no words with a silent v. This is the only letter, in all accents, that refuses to be silent. 

Silent w

The letter ‘w’ is not pronounced when it comes before an ‘r’, such as wrong. It is silent also when it is followed by a ‘ho‘ combination at the beginning of a word such as ‘whole‘.

Wrong	It was wrong of you to do that.
Sword	Swords are weapons used in the past.
While	I ate a whole cake by myself!
Write	Tim writes in his diary every day.
Two	Two coffees, please.
Wrist	I broke my wrist playing basketball.
Wrapper	Put your wrapper in the bin.

Silent x

Faux	Faux fur coats are back in fashion.

Silent y

Prayer

People who are religious often say a prayer

Silent z

Laissez-faire	His approach was laissez-faire.
Rendezvous	Let’s meet at the bridge for our rendezvous.

Is that everything?

Absolutely not! Look at the video below for more on silent letters in English.