Silent Letters in English: Checklist, Guidelines & Examples

What Are Silent Letters?

Silent letters are letters in a phrase which might be written however not pronounced. For instance, within the phrase knight, the ok is silent. These letters could make English difficult, however studying them step-by-step will enhance your pronunciation and fluency!

See additionally: Uncovering the Thriller: Why Do Silent Letters Exist in English?

Checklist of Silent Letters in English (with Examples)

Silent letters can seem anyplace in a phrase, and so they comply with sure patterns. Under is an inventory of silent letters with examples to make studying straightforward for newbies.

Silent Letters and Their Guidelines

Silent A

• The letter A isn’t silent however could be present in some particular circumstances.

Examples:

1. Bread (bred)
2. Head (hed)

Silent B

• The letter B is silent when it follows M or comes earlier than T.

Examples:

1. Thumb (thuhm)
2. Comb (kohm)
3. Debt (det)

Silent C

• The letter C is silent in SC combos.

Examples:

1. Scene (seen)
2. Scissors (siz-ers)
3. Muscle (mus-uhl)

Silent D

• The letter D is silent in sure phrases.

Examples:

1. Wednesday (wenz-day)
2. Handkerchief (han-ker-chief)

Silent E

• The letter E is commonly silent on the finish of phrases, particularly to sign a protracted vowel sound.

Examples:

1. Hope (hohp)
2. Time (tahym)
3. Identify (neym)

Silent G

• The letter G is silent when it precedes N.

Examples:

• Signal (sine)
• Gnaw (naw)
• Gnome (nome)

Silent H

• The letter H is silent in varied contexts:

After W.

1. Examples: What (wot), When (wen)

Firstly of some phrases.

1. Examples: Hour (our), Sincere (on-est)

Silent Ok

• The letter Ok is silent when it comes earlier than N.

Examples:

1. Knife (nife)
2. Know (no)
3. Knock (nock)

Silent L

• The letter L is silent in phrases with sure vowel combos.

Examples:

1. Calm (kahm)
2. Half (haf)
3. Discuss (tawk)

Silent M

1. The letter M is silent in a number of phrases.

Examples:

1. Mnemonic (neh-mon-ik)

Silent N

• The letter N is silent in some phrases, normally after M.

Examples:

1. Autumn (aw-tuhm)
2. Column (kol-uhm)

Silent P

• The letter P is silent in sure phrases, particularly with PS or PN firstly.

Examples:

1. Psychology (sai-ko-lo-gy)
2. Pneumonia (new-moh-nyah)

Silent R

• The letter R is silent in non-rhotic accents like British English.

Examples:

1. Automobile (cah)
2. Butter (but-tah)

Silent S

1. The letter S is silent in a number of phrases.

Examples:

1. Island (eye-land)
2. Aisle (eye-l)

Silent T

• The letter T is silent in some frequent phrases.

Examples:

1. Ballet (ba-lay)
2. Fortress (cas-uhl)
3. Pay attention (lis-en)

Silent U

• The letter U is silent after G in lots of phrases.

Examples:

1. Guess (ges)
2. Guitar (gi-tar)
3. Rogue (rohg)

Silent W

• The letter W is silent earlier than R or in sure different phrases.

Examples:

1. Write (ceremony)
2. Flawed (rong)
3. Sword (sord)

Bear in mind Silent Letters?

• Apply Frequent Phrases: Give attention to high-frequency phrases.
• Use Mnemonics: Create reminiscence aids like “Silent Ok is a knight’s secret.”
• Study Patterns: Discover patterns like silent B after M or silent Ok earlier than N.

Apply Silent Letters?

• Learn Aloud: Apply studying phrases with silent letters. This may assist your mind bear in mind the right pronunciation.
• Hearken to Native Audio system: Watch English movies or take heed to podcasts to listen to how phrases are pronounced.
• Study Frequent Phrases: Give attention to generally used phrases with silent letters.

Enjoyable Truth About Silent Letters!

Do you know? The phrase island has a silent S as a result of it was added later to make the phrase appear to be Latin, despite the fact that it was by no means pronounced!

Conclusion

Silent letters might sound complicated, however they’re an essential a part of studying English. By practising often and being attentive to frequent patterns, you may develop into extra assured in your spoken English.

Ultimate Tip

Don’t let silent letters scare you! They’re a problem at first, however with observe, you’ll grasp them and sound extra pure in your English conversations.