How to Pronounce English Words-Silent Letters in Words

During our life time we use, pronounce and remember about 10,000 spellings of English
Words. There are many words in which some alphabets are silent. My list will help in
pronouncing these words.
Instructions

1.
Step 1

Silent Letters in English Words

There is no clear way to know about all the silent letters in English Words.
The best you can do is to make lists and circulate among your friends to find
and add more such words.

(a) Silent Consonants

Silent Letter B
‘b’ is silent in the words ending with ‘mb’.
Climb, Crumb, Dumb, Comb, Lamb

Silent Letter B
‘b’ is mostly silent when it is followed by ‘t’.
Debt, Doubtful, Subtle
(But not in some words, e.g. 'Obtain', 'Unobtrusive')

Silent Letter C
‘c’ is mostly silent in the words beginning with ‘sce’ or ‘sci’
Muscle, Scène, Scent, Science, Scissors

Silent Letter C
‘c’ is silent in the words ending with ‘scle’
Muscle, Corpuscle

Silent Letter D
‘d’ is silent in the following common words.
Handkerchief, Sandwich, Wednesday

Silent Letter G
‘g’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘gn’.
Gnome, Gnaw, Gnats, Gnosis, Gnu

Silent Letter G
‘g’ is often silent when it is followed by ‘n’ in the middle or end of a word.
Champagne, Foreign, Sign, Feign

Silent Letters GH
‘gh’ is silent when it is followed by ‘t’.
Ought, Fought, Thought, Taught, Daughter
Night, Light, Might, Right, Fight

Silent Letters GH
 ‘gh’ is mostly silent in the words when it is at the end.
High, Sigh, Weigh, Neigh, sleigh

Letters GH
‘gh’ sounds ‘ff’ when preceded by ‘ou’
Cough, Rough, Enough, Tough

Silent Letter H
‘h’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘wh’. However some people whisper ‘h’
before the ‘w’.
What, Wham, Whip, Whiz, When, Where, Whether, Why

Silent Letter H
‘h’ is silent, in many words, when it is at the beginning.
In such cases the article ‘an’ is used.
Hour, Honest, Honour, Heir, Herb

Silent Letter H
‘h’ is silent in the words ending with ‘h’ and preceded by a vowel.
Hah, Mynah, Cheetah, Sarah, Messiah

Silent Letter H
‘h’ is silent in the words ending with ‘h’ and preceded by a consonant.
Myrrh , Catarrh

Silent Letter H
‘h’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘rh’
Rhyme, Rhubarb, Rhythm, Rhombus

Silent Letter K
‘k’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘kn’.
Knife, Knee, Know, Knock, Knowledge

Silent Letter L
‘l’ is often silent when it is before ‘d’ and preceded by ‘ou’.
Would, Should, Could

Silent Letter L
‘l’ is often silent when it is before ‘f’
Half, Calf

Silent Letter L
‘l’ is often silent when it is before ‘k’
Talk, Walk, Balk
2.
Step 2

Silent Letter L
‘l’ is often silent when it is before ‘m’
Calm, Balm, Salmon
Silent Letter N
‘n’ is silent when it is behind ‘m’ at the end of a word.
Autumn, Hymn, Damn, Column

Silent Letter P
‘p’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘pn’
Pneumatic, Pneumonia, pneumonic

Silent Letter P
‘p’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘ps’
Psalm, Psychiatry, Psychology

Silent Letter P
‘P’ is silent in the words beginning with the suffix ‘psych’.
Psychiatrist, Psychotherapy, Psychotic

Silent Letter P
‘p’ is silent in the words beginning with the suffix ‘pneu’.
Pneumatic, Pneumonia

Silent Letter S
‘s’ is mostly silent when it is before ‘l’ in some words.
Island, Isle

Silent Letter T
‘t’ is silent in the following common words.
Often, Castle, Fasten, Listen, Rustle, Glisten,
Thistle, Whistle, Wrestle, Christmas, Listening

Silent Letter W
‘w’ is silent in the words beginning with ‘wr’.
Wrap, Wreck, Wrench, Write, Wrong

Silent Letter W
‘W’ is silent in the following words.
Who, Whose, Whom

(b) Silent Vowels

Silent Vowel E
Silent vowel ‘e’ at the end as in the word ‘have’
Because, Cheese, Give, Have, Horse, House, Love, Pause, Please, Purse

Silent Vowel U
‘u’ is silent when it is after ‘g’ and before a vowel.
Guess, Guidance, Guitar, Guest

Silent Vowel U
Silent vowel ‘u’ as in the word ‘guess’
Biscuit, Build, Disguise, Guarantee, Guard, Guess, Guest, Guide, Guilty, Guitar
 Silent Vowels UE
Silent vowels ‘ue’ as in the word ‘tongue’
Catalogue, Intrigue, League, Plague, Rogue, Tongue, Vague
Silent letter E in English Words

(a) ‘E’ is silent at the end of a word and makes the consonant in front of it say
its alphabet name.

Ate,Use,Bite,Code,Cube,Cute,Dude,Hate,Hide,Hope,Joke,Ride,Robe,Valuable
Ignorance,insurance,Narrative,Believable,Literature,Resemblance

(B) ‘E’ is silent in the middle of a word and makes the consonant in front of it
say its alphabet name.
Hikers,Lately,Museum,Hopeless,Revision,Rehearsal,Completion,Television
3.
Step 3

English words ending with ‘lm’)

‘l’ is often silent in some words when it is before ‘m’ at the end. (Red Words)
Elm,Balm,Calm,Culm,Film,Palm,Qualm,Realm,Telefilm,Microfilm

English Words beginning with ‘rh’

‘h’ is silent when it is behind ‘r’.

Rho,Rhea,Rheme,Rheum,Rhino,Rhomb,Rhumb,Rhyme,Rhymer,Rhythm

English words beginning with ‘kn’

‘k’ is silent when it is followed by ‘n’ at the beginning of a word.

Knap,Knee,Knew,Kneel,Knife,Knock,Known,Knifes,Knight,Knockout

English Words beginning with ‘ps’

‘p’ is silent in almost all words beginning with ‘ps’

Psst,Psalm,Psych,Pseudo,Psycho,Psychical,Psychosis

Silent Letter ‘w’ in English Words beginning with ‘wr’

‘w’ is silent when it is at the beginning of a word followed by ‘r’.

Wry,Wrap,Wrack,Wring,Wrist,Write,Wrong,Wright
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