SILENT SOUND
What Are Silent Letters
Called?
Silent letters are just called
silent letters. In
some slang terms they are
also called dummy
letters. There is no
linguistic or phonetic
name for silent letters,
except silent letters.
Rules of Silent
Letters
Words with Silent B
Rule 1: B is not pronounced after M at
the end of a word.
Examples: limb, crumb, dumb, comb,
bomb, thumb, climb, tomb
Rule 2: B is usually not pronounced
before T at the end of a root word.**
Examples: debt, doubt, debtor,
doubtful, subtle, subtleness
Words with Silent C
Rule 1: C is not pronounced in the
combination SC.
Examples: Muscle, scissors, ascent,
miscellaneous, fascinate, scenario
Exceptions: Sclera, asclepiad, sclerosis,
muscovado, sceptic
Rule 2: C is usually redundant before the
letters K or Q.
Examples: Acquaintance, acknowledge,
acquiesce, acquit
Words with Silent D
Rule 1: D is not pronounced in the following
common words:
Handkerchief, Wednesday, sandwich,
handsome
Rule 2: D is also not pronounced in the
combination DG.
Pledge, dodge, grudge, hedge
Words with Silent E
Rule: E is not pronounced at the end of
words, but instead elongates the sound of
the vowel before it.
Examples: Hope, drive, gave, write,
site, grave, bite, hide
Words with Silent G
Rule: G is not often not pronounced when it
comes before N.
Examples: Champagne, foreign, sign,
feign, foreign, design, align, cognac
Exceptions: Magnet, igneous, cognitive,
signature
Words with Silent GH
Rule 1: GH is not pronounced when it
comes after a vowel.
Examples: Thought, drought, through,
thorough, borough, daughter, light,
might, sigh, right, fight, weigh, weight
Exceptions: Doghouse, foghorn,
bighead (As you can see, the exceptions
are generally compound words i.e. words
that have been formed by combining two
complete words)
Rule 2: GH is sometimes pronounced like F.
Examples: rough, tough, laugh, enough,
Words with Silent H
Rule 1: H is not pronounced when it comes after W (n.b.
some speakers whisper the H before the W).
Examples: what, when, where, whether, why
Rule 2: H is not pronounced at the beginning of many
words (remember to use the article “an” with unvoiced H).
Examples: hour, honest, honour, heir
Exceptions: hill, history, height, happy, hereditary (Plus
most other words beginning with H that are NOT of French
origin – and remember to use the article “a” with voiced H)
Rule 3: H is often not pronounced when it comes after C, G
or R.
Examples: choir, chorus, ghastly, ghoul, aghast, echo,
rhinocerous, rhythm
Words with Silent K
Rule: K is not pronounced when it
comes before N at the beginning of a word.
Examples: knife, knee, know, knock,
knowledge, knead
Words with Silent L
Rule: L is not pronounced after the vowels
A, O and U.
Examples: calm, half, talk, walk, would,
should, could, calf, salmon, yolk,
chalk, folk, balm
Exceptions: Halo, bulk, sulk, hold, sold,
fold, mould
Words with Silent N
Rule: N is not pronounced when it
comes after M at the end of a word.
Examples: Autumn, hymn, column,
solemn
Words with Silent P
Rule: P is not pronounced at the beginning
of many words using the combinations PS,
PT and PN.
Psychiatrist, pneumonia, pneumatic,
psychotherapy, psychotic,
psychologist, pseudonym, Pterodactyl
Words with Silent PH
Rule: PH is sometimes pronounced like F.
Examples: telephone, paragraph,
alphabet, epiphany, sophomore
Words with Silent S
Rule: S is not pronounced before L in the
following words:
Island, isle, aisle, islet
Words with Silent T
Rule: T is not pronounced in these common
words:
Castle, Christmas, fasten, listen,
often, whistle, thistle, bustle, hasten,
soften, rapport, gourmet, ballet
Words with Silent U
Rule: U is not pronounced when it
comes after G and before a vowel.
Examples: guess, guidance, guitar,
guest, guild, guard
Words with Silent W
Rule 1: W is not pronounced at the
beginning of a word when it is before the
letter R.
Examples: wrap, write, wrong, wring,
wreck, wrestle, wrap, wrist
Rule 2: W is not pronounced in the
following words:
Who, whose, whom, whole, whoever,
answer, sword, two
