Have you ever wondered why some letters seem to just tag along in a word without making a sound? Welcome to the world of silent letters! These sneaky characters add a dash of mystery to our language. Let’s take a closer look…
A silent letter is a letter from a word which is not pronounced when the word is spoken aloud.
They can be difficult to spot, so you simply have to learn them or remember some rules to help you spot them. We’ll be looking at which letters can be silent, and common words they appear in for you to practice. There will be videos to help you learn how to pronounce the words correctly too.
silent letters list
Silent b
The silent ‘b’ can be found in the following words:
- climb
example – My uncle is going to climb Mount Everest - lamb
example – We are having roast lamb for Sunday lunch. - thumb
example – I trapped my thumb in the car door, I think it’s broken.
Silent c
The ‘c’ isn’t pronounced when preceded by an ‘s’:
- fluorescent
example – Everyone must wear fluorescent clothes to the party. - muscle
example – I got to the gym 5 times a week; I want big muscles. - scissors
example – Can you pass me the scissors? I’m going to cut my fringe.
Silent d
The silent ‘d’ can be found in the following words:
- badge
example – My niece got a badge for being student of the month. - handsome
example – Cheryl’s son is so handsome, he’s going to break some hearts one day. - Wednesday
example – I cant give you a lift on Wednesday afternoon, I’ve got a swimming lesson.
Silent e
The silent ‘e’ can be found in the following words:
- bake
example – I need to bake a cake for my son’s ninth birthday. - include
example – Did you include Jude and Nancy when you booked the table? - time
example – It’ about time my teenage son started paying his way.
Silent g
The silent ‘g’ can be found in the following words:
- cologne
example – What cologne are you wearing? It smells amazing. - foreign
example – I’ve never been to a foreign country before. - gnome
example – Someone has stolen my favourite gnome from my front garden.
Silent gh
The silent ‘gh’ can be found in the following words:
- fight
example – Did you watch the fight last night? I can’t believe he was knocked out in the second round. - neighbour
example – My neighbour is away for a few days so I’m feeding his cat. - though
example – We went to the beach even though it was raining.
Silent h
The silent ‘h’ can be found in the following words:
- hour
example – The trin leaves on the hour, every hour. - rhythm
example – Nick has no rhythm, who let him be in the band? - why
example – Why are there so many silent letters in English?
Silent k
The silent ‘k’ can be found in the following words:
- knead
example – The recipe says to knead the dough for 15 minutes. - knickers
example – Someone keeps stealing my knickers from the washing line. - knot
example – My hair is really knotty; I can’t get the brush through it.
Silent l
The silent ‘l’ can be found in the following words:
- chalk
example – Can you buy me a packet of chalk so the kids can draw on the pavement? - half
example – Only buy Ricky a half, he’s driving tonight. - yolk
example – Both of my eggs have been double yolkers.
Silent n
The silent ‘n’ can be found in the following words:
- autumn
example – Autumn is definitely my favourite season. - column
example – We’ll visit Nelsons column, then we’ll go and see Big Ben. - hymn
example – I’ve got hymn practice on Sunday morning so I can’t meet up until the afternoon.
Silent p
The silent ‘p’ can be found in the following words:
- pneumonia
example – Please take a coat with you, I don’t want you catching pneumonia. - psychic
example – I psychic told me I was going to come into some money. - receipt
example – I’ve lost the receipt so I can’t get a refund for my trainers.
Silent r
The silent ‘r’ can be found in the following words:
- alarm
example – The neighbour’s alarm was going off for ages last night. - four
example – Our four year old can count to 100. - surprise
example – We’re organising a surprise party for our parent’s anniversary.
Silent s
The silent ‘s’ can be found in the following words:
- aisle
example – The washing powder is down aisle 6. - Illinois
example – I’ve got a new job in Illinois; I’ll be moving stateside. - sous-chef
example – Dean has been promoted to sous-chef.
Silent t
The silent ‘t’ can be found in the following words:
- duvet
example – I don’t feel great, I think I’ll have a duvet day. - mortgage
example – In 3 years, out mortgage will be paid off. - witch
example – If two witches watch two watches which witch would watch which watch?
Silent u
The silent ‘u’ can be found in the following words:
- baguette
example – Can I have a baguette with tuna mayo and lettuce please? - guess
example – Guess who I saw holding hands with another woman earlier? - silhouette
example – I swear I saw a silhouette of a man in a hat in my room last night.
Silent w
The silent ‘w’ can be found in the following words:
- sword
example – I ate swordfish for the first time yesterday. - wreck
example – We’ve booked an excursion to dive down and see a shipwreck. - wrong
example – I wrote the wrong answer to the last question and failed the exam.
Do you want more? Then click on the links below to learn about each silent letter in more detail.
If you enjoyed learning about silent letters, head to my pronunciation section to learn some more tips on how to speak like a native.