Silent letters are letters that use to write the word, but we don’t pronounce. You will see them on paper, but you won’t hear them when you say the word. In this post, you will find a comprehensive list of words that contain silent letters. Bookmark this page so that you can check it anytime and download our free guide for more tips on how to improve your English pronunciation.
Why Are There Silent Letters?
Silent letters may seem useless but –believe it or not– they are not always redundant. They may help us in different ways:
Homophones: Silent letters help us distinguish between homophones (i.e. words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings) in writing (e.g. be/bee, in/inn, lent/leant, rest/wrest, new/knew, night/knight, jam/jamb).
️ Pronunciation: Even though these letters are not pronounced, they can help the reader to stress the correct syllable (e.g. physics/physiques) and also change the pronunciation of other letters (e.g. guest/gesture, rid/ride).
️Origin: Silent letters may help us better understand the origin or meaning of a word and also connect them with one another from the same family (e.g. resign-resignation, vine-vineyard).
Now that you see they’re not totally useless –at least not always– let’s check what words have silent letters. Read the list and pronounce the following terms out loud. Try to use them in a sentence, and you will see much better results in your pronunciation.
Words With Silent Letters
Look at the words below and read them out loud. Putting them in a sentence will help you better remember which words include silent letters.
Words With Silent A
The letter A often goes silent in specific English words, especially in combinations like -EA- or -AI-. These silent letter words can be tricky as they frequently disrupt pronunciation expectations, making them difficult for learners to master.
Bread | Head | Heart |
Leather | Great | Fear |
Heavy | Ready | Sweater |
Deal | Real | Clean |
Year | Break | Dream |
Fearful | Steak | Death |
Wealth | Health | Peach |
Teacher | Seam |
Words With Silent B
The letter B is typically silent in English when it follows the letter M at the end of a word (-MB). These silent letter words often confuse learners, as the rule is inconsistent and the B is unpronounced. Focus on the sound, not the spelling.
Aplomb | Bomb | Climb |
Comb | Crumb | Debt |
Doubt | Dumb | Jamb |
Lamb | Limb | Numb |
Plumb | Subtle | Succumb |
Thumb | Tomb | Womb |
Words With Silent C
SC words with silent C, like “scene” and “scissors,” can be challenging for learners because they don’t follow standard pronunciation patterns. Understanding these rules can help improve your pronunciation and confidence!
Abscess | Ascend / ascent | Conscience |
Conscious | Crescent | Descend |
Disciple | Evanesce | Fascinate |
Fluorescent | Muscle | Obscene |
Resuscitate | Scenario | Scene |
Scissors |
Words With Silent D
The letter D often becomes silent in English when placed between certain letters, such as in the combinations -DG- or -ND-. These silent D words can trip up learners—listening carefully to native speakers can help you master these tricky exceptions.
Bridge | Edge | Handkerchief (**NOTE: in the word “hand”, the D is not silent) |
Handsome | Handful | Grandson |
Ledger | Sandwich | Wednesday |
Words With Silent E
Many words contain a silent E, most commonly found at the end of words in English, especially when following a consonant. Usually these words end in Vowel + Consonant + Silent E. This silent E alters the pronunciation of the preceding vowel, like in “hope” and “time.”
Debate | Desire | Excite |
Kite | Love | Make |
Name |
In American English, we tend to drop silent E’s in some words.
Judgement (BrE) / judgment (AmE) | Programme (BrE) / program (AmE) |
Words With Silent G
The letter G is silent in many English words, especially when placed before N (-GN) like in the word “gnome” or followed by H (-GH) in the word “high.” These silent G words can be confusing due to the irregularities in pronunciation rules across silent letters in English.
Align | Benign | Assign |
Champagne | Cologne | Consign |
Design | Feign | Foreign |
Gnarl | Gnash | Gnaw |
Gnome | Gnomic | High |
Light | Resign | Sign |
Words With Silent H
The letter H is sometimes silent in words, particularly when it follows C (-CH) or appears after certain consonants like -GH, -WH, or -RH. Silent H also appears at the beginning of words, such as “honest” and “hour,” making these silent letter words a bit simpler to learn because they don’t affect pronunciation.
Anchor | Archeology (in BrE: archaeology) | Architect / architecture |
Archive | Borough | Chaos |
Character / characteristic | Charisma | Chemical / chemistry / chemist |
Choreograph | Chorus | Christmas / Christian |
Echo | Heir | Herbs (**only in AmE) |
Hour | Honest / honor | Ghost |
Psychology | Rhino | Schedule (**only in AmE) |
Scheme | School | Tech / technology / techie |
Thai / Thailand | Thigh | Thorough |
Vehicle | Weigh | What / when / where / why / which |
White | While |
Words With Silent K
Words like “knee” and “knife” feature a silent K, typically when it precedes N. Silent K words are challenging but following these rules helps learners confidently pronounce and spell similar words in their English vocabulary.
Knack | Knave | Knead |
Knee | Kneel | Knell |
Knickers | Knife | Knight |
Knit | Knob | Knock |
Knoll | Knot | Know / knew / known |
Knowledge | Knuckle |
Words With Silent L
Silent L words, like “calm” and “yolk,” can confuse learners since the L isn’t pronounced. This is also commonly seen in combinations like -ALF, -ALM, or -OULD. Becoming familiar with these words enhances both fluency and pronunciation!
Almond | Balm | Behalf |
Calf | Chalk | Could |
Folk | Half | Palm |
Salmon | Should | Stalk |
Talk | Walk | Would |
Yolk |
Words With Silent N
The letter N becomes silent in English when it follows an M in combinations like -MN at the end of words. Some examples of silent N words include “autumn” and “damn.” These silent letters in English words simplify speaking and build accuracy in understanding word structures.
Autumn | Column | Condemn |
Damn | Hymn | Solemn |
Words With Silent P
The letter P is silent in English words, commonly appearing at the beginning of a word, followed by S (PS-). These silent P words can be perplexing for learners because although the P is part of the spelling, it isn’t spoken.
Coup | Cupboard | Psychology |
Pneumonia | Pseudo | Psychiatrist |
Psychiatry | Psychotherapy | Psychotic |
Receipt |
Words With Silent S
The letter S is often silent in certain English words, creating confusion for learners. This typically occurs in words with specific historical or linguistic origins, such as "isle," "debris," and "aisle." Silent S words challenge pronunciation expectations, making them tricky to master for both native and non-native speakers.
Island | Aisle | Viscount |
Isle | Debris | Bourgeois |
Corps |
Words With Silent T
The letter T is silent in a variety of English words, particularly in combinations like -ST- or ending in -ET. Some examples include “castle” and “ballet.” These silent T words are common in English, and mastering them makes pronunciation easier for learners!
Apostle | Bristle | Bustle |
Castle | Fasten | Glisten |
Hustle | Listen | Moisten |
Often |
Words With Silent U
The letter U is used to soften the letter G in combinations like GU-, like in “guess” and “guitar.” These silent U words are tricky, as the usual pronunciation rules for vowels don't apply here.
Baguette | Biscuit | Build |
Building | Built | Circuit |
Disguise | Guess | Guest |
Guide | Guild | Guilt |
Guilty | Guise | Guitar |
Rogue | Silhouette |
Words With Silent W
The letter W is often silent in English words when it appears before an R (as in -WR-). These words with silent W can be tricky for learners because silent letters in English don’t affect pronunciation but is key to spelling.
Awry | Playwright | Sword |
Wrack | Wrangle | Wrap |
Wrapper | Wrath | Wreak |
Wreath | Wreck | Wrestle |
Wriggle | Wring | Wrinkle |
Wrist | Writ | Write / wrote / written |
Wrong |
Keep Improving Your English Pronunciation
Some of these may sound like difficult silent words in English (or words with silent letters in them), but it’s only a matter of practice!
Download our free pronunciation guide and learn how to improve your English pronunciation. It includes video tutorials and tips to practice on your own. If you are serious about improving your pronunciation and business English, contact Talaera. We will help you find the program for you and your teams.
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