Silent Letters List

Words with Silent B

Rule 1: B is not pronounced after M at the end of a word.

Bomb (pronounced /bom/)
dumb (pronounced /dum/)
climb (pronounced /claym/)
comb (pronounced /coam/)
limb (pronounced /lim/)
thumb (pronounced /thum/)

Rule 2: B is usually not pronounced before T 

doubt (/dowt/)
debt (/det/)
subtle (/suttel/)

Words with Silent C

Rule 1: C is not pronounced in the combination SC.

Scene (/seen/)
science (/sience/)
fascinate (/fasinate/)
muscle (/mussel/)
ascend (/assend/)
descent (/dissent/)
scissors (/sizzors/)

Rule 2: C is usually redundant before the letters K or Q.

 Examples: Acquaintance, acknowledge, acquiesce, acquit

Words with Silent D

Rule 1: D is not pronounced in the following common words:

Wednesday (/wenzday/)

 Handkerchief, Wednesday, sandwich, handsome

Rule 2: D is also not pronounced in the combination DG.

 Pledge, dodge, grudge, hedge

Words with Silent E

Rule: E is not pronounced at the end of words, but instead elongates the sound of the vowel
before it. Examples: Hope, drive, gave, write, site, grave, bite, and hide

Evening (/eav-ning/)
interesting (/intresting/)
vegetable (/vegtabul/)

Words with Silent G

Rule: G is often not pronounced when it comes before N.

Sign (/sine/)
design (/dezine/)
resign (/rezine/)
foreign (/forrin/)
reign (/rain/)

Examples: Champagne, foreign, sign, feign, foreign, design, align, cognac

Words with Silent GH

Rule 1: GH is not pronounced when it comes after a vowel.

High (/hi/)
higher (/hi-ur/)
right (/rite/)
might (/mite/)
flight (/flite/)
thigh (th – eye)
sigh (s – eye)
Taught (/tort//)
thought (/thort//)
ought (/ort/)
bought (/bort/)
brought (/brort/)
Enough (/enuf/)
tough (/tuff/)
Though (/tho/)
although (/altho/)
Weigh (/way/)
weight (/wayt/)
straight (/strayt/)
Rule 2: GH is sometimes pronounced like F.

 Examples: rough, tough, laugh, enough, cough, clough, draught

Words with Silent H

Rule 1: H is not pronounced when it comes after W

 why (/wy/)
where (/wear/)
when (/wen/)
what (/wot/)
which (/witch/)
whisper (/wisper/)
whistle (/wissul/)
white (/wite/)
while (/wile/)
whereas (/wearas/)

Rule 2: H is not pronounced at the beginning of many words (remember to use the article “an”
with unvoiced H).

Honest (/onest/)
hour (/our/)
honour (/onour/)

: H is not pronounced before c ,and its sound convert into kk

Ache (/eyk/)
mechanic (/mekanik/)
architect (/arkitect/)
chemistry (/kemistry/)
echo (/ekko/)
stomach (/stomak/)
school (/skule/)
schizophrenia (/skizofrenia/)

Words with Silent K

Rule: K is not pronounced when it comes before N at the beginning of a word.

Know (/no/)
knew (/new/)
knowledge (/nolidge/)
knee (/nee/)
knock (/nok/)
knife (/nife/)

Words with Silent L

Rule: L is not pronounced after the vowels A, O and U.

Calf (/carf/)
half (/harf/)
Calm (/carm/)
balm (/brm/)
salmon (/samon/)
Would (/wood/)
could (/cood/)
should (/shood/)
Walk (/wawk/)
talk (/tawk/)

Words with Silent N

Rule: N is not pronounced when it comes after M at the end of a word.

Autumn (/ortum/)
column (/colum/)

Examples: Autumn, hymn, column, solemn

Words with Silent P
Rule: P is not pronounced at the beginning of many words using the combinations PS, PT and
PN.

psychiatrist
psychology
psychosis
pseudonym
pneumonia
receipt

Words with Silent PH

Rule: PH is sometimes pronounced like F.

Examples: telephone, paragraph, alphabet, epiphany, sophomore

Words with Silent S
Rule: S is not pronounced before L in the following words:

island (/i-land/)
isle (/iyull/)

Words with Silent T

Rule: T is not pronounced in these common words:

listen (/lissen/)
fasten (/fassen/)
castle (/cassul/)
hustle (/hussul/)
whistle (/wissul/)

Words with Silent U

Rule: U is not pronounced when it comes after G and before a vowel.

biscuit (/biskit/)
build (/bild/)
guess (/gess/)
guest (/gest/)
guide (/guy-d/ – rhymes with “I’d”)
guitar (/gitar/)

Words with Silent W

Rule 1: W is not pronounced at the beginning of a word when it is before the letter R.

who (/hoo)
write (/rite/)
wrist (/rist/)
wrong (/rong/)
wrap (/rap/)
answer (/anser/)
sword (/sord/)

Rule 2: W is not pronounced in the following words:

window (/windo/)
widow (/widdo/)
yellow (/yello/)
below (/bilo/)
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