# Silent letters

**Published by:** [English Tips](https://paragraph.com/@english-tips/)
**Published on:** 2022-08-02
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@english-tips/silent-letters

## Content

Many letters in written English are silent. ESL speakers often still pronounce them because they learnt that word from a book. The spelling of a word often interferes with how we hear it, too.Words with a silent “B”debt /dɛt/, doubt /daʊt/, subtle /ˈsʌt(ə)l/bomb /bɔm/, womb /wuːm/, tomb /tuːm/comb /koʊm/, climb /klaɪm/lamb /læm/thumb /θʌm/, plumb, crumb etcWords with a silent “P”receipt /rəˈsit/Words with a silent “L”palm /pɑm/, calm /kɑm/salmon /ˈsæmən/folks /foʊks/half /hæf/could /kʊd/talk /tɔk/, walk, chalkWords with a silent initial letterW: who /huː/ – no W!W: write, wrong, wrap, wreck, wrist – a W before R is never pronouncedK: knight, know, knock, knee, knuckle – a K before N is always silentG: gnat, gnu, gnocchi – the same for G before NP, M: psychology, mnemonic, pneumatic – an initial P and M in words of Ancient Greek origin are often silentH: honest /ˈɑnɪst/, “H” /eɪtʃ/, honor – no H there!Always check the IPAThe English spelling often dates back to when the word was pronounced the way it’s written, but then the sounds has changed. In many of the examples above, the silent letter was at some point pronounced, but it’s not anymore. As a general tip, you should always check the IPA of any new word that you learn. It’s impossible to predict how the English language will trip you up even with simplest-looking words.https://twitter.com/filmeastereggs/status/1254274788672983041Cover photo by Ernie A. Stephens on Unsplash

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