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English
Reading - text types
Reading comprehension
Writing process
Writing skills
Spelling
Word endings
Sentences
Punctuation
Speaking
English
Summary
There are words that consist of letters that do not always need to be pronounced, yet are included in order to be spelt correctly. Some words with silent letters have their origins in other languages and some have been carried over from Early or Modern English. In this summary, you will learn about some common and less common letters that are silent.
There are letters that are more commonly silent than others. 'H' is one of the most common silent letters.
silent letter | word with silent letter |
| b | climb, debt |
| c | scissors, |
| g | sign, foreign |
| h | hour, rhyme |
| k | know, knife |
| t | castle, rustle |
| u | tongue, guess |
| s | island, aisle |
| w | wrong, write |
These letters can also be silent. This means you do not pronounce them when they are included in a word. However, these letters are less common.
silent letter | word with silent letter |
| d | edge, Wednesday |
| p | psychology, pseudo |
| n | autumn, column |
Tip: The letter 'n' is usually silent when placed after the letter 'm'. The letter 'p' is usually silent when placed before the letter 's'.
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FAQs
Question: What are words with silent letters?
Answer: There are words that consist of letters that do not always need to be pronounced, yet are included in order to be spelt correctly.
Question: Why does English have so many words with silent letters?
Answer: Some words with silent have their origins in other languages and some have been carried over from Early or Modern English.
Question: What are the most common silent letters?
Answer: The most common silent letters are 'b', 'c', 'g', 'h', 'k', 't', 'u', 's' and 'w'.
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