The English language is a difficult language to learn. Most of the time, words in their written form can be tricky. Unlike some languages where you write what you hear, English is quite different.
It’s because the language came from a rich history. Not only it has absorbed a lot of words from foreign languages like French, Latin, and Norse, but also kept on evolving as the centuries pass. Thanks to this development, we are left with hundreds of words that have some silent letters in them
In this post, we dive into some common words with silent letters and how to say them correctly.
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The Silent K
When the letter ‘K’ precedes the letter ‘n’ at the beginning of a word, it falls silent.
Examples:
Know
Meaning: be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information:
Knowledge
Meaning: facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject
Knife
Meaning: an instrument composed of a blade fixed into a handle, used for cutting, or as a weapon.
Knob
Meaning: a rounded lump or ball, especially at the end or on the surface of something.
Knack
Meaning: an acquired or natural skill at performing a task.
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The Silent P
When the letter “P” is preceded by an ‘s’, it falls silent.
Psychology
Meaning: the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.
Psyche
Meaning: the human soul, mind, or spirit.
Psychiatry
Meaning: the branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness.
Pseudo
Meaning: not genuine; spurious or sham.
Pneumonia
Meaning: lung inflammation caused by a bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid. Inflammation may affect both lungs
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The Silent ‘C’
It’s often silent when it follows ‘s’.
Examples:
Muscle
Meaning: a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining the position of parts of the body.
Miscellaneous
Meaning: (of items or people gathered or considered together) of various types or from different sources.
Ascend
Meaning: go up or climb
Fascinate
Meaning: draw irresistibly the attention and interest of (someone):
Obscene
Meaning: of the portrayal or description of sexual matters) offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency.
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The Silent ‘G’
Most of the words with a silent g sound came from foreign origin.
Examples:
Gnome
Meaning: a legendary dwarfish creature supposed to guard the earth’s treasures underground.
Benign
Meaning: (of a disease) not harmful in effect
Design
Meaning: a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building, garment, or another object before it is built or made
Sign
Meaning: an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else
Malign
Meaning: speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner
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The Silent “B”
The silent b is usually silent if it follows the ‘m’ sound.
Examples:
Climb
Meaning: go or come up (a slope, incline, or staircase), especially by using the feet and sometimes the hands; ascend.
Comb
Meaning: a strip of plastic, metal, or wood with a row of narrow teeth, used for untangling or arranging the hair.
Crumb
Meaning: a small fragment of bread, cake, or cracker.
Thumb
Meaning: the short, thick first digit of the human hand, set lower and apart from the other four and opposable to them.
Tomb
Meaning: a large vault, typically an underground one, for burying the dead.
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The Silent “N”
The silent ‘n’ is usually silent if it follows the ‘m’ sound.
Hymn
Meaning: a religious song or poem of praise to God or a god.
Solemn
Meaning: formal and dignified
Condemn
Meaning: express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure.
Column
Meaning: an upright pillar, typically cylindrical and made of stone or concrete, supporting an entablature, arch, or other structure or standing alone as a monument.
Damnation
Meaning: (in Christian belief) condemnation to eternal punishment in hell.
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The Silent T
The silent ‘t’ is usually silent if it follows the ‘s’ sound.
Hustle
Meaning: busy movement and activity
Nestle
Meaning: settle or lie comfortably within or against something
Pestle
Meaning: a heavy tool with a rounded end, used for crushing and grinding substances such as spices or drugs, typically in a mortar.
Rustle
Meaning: make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves or paper
Listen
Meaning: give one’s attention to a sound