WORDS WITH SILENT LETTERS

Some words have silent letters that can be bothersome to spellers. Spellers must learn that the silent letter or letters
are part of the standard spelling of these words.
Silent Vowels
Vowels
a (in a digraph)
e (in a digraph)
e (ending vowel)
i (in a digraph)
o (in a digraph)
u (in a digraph)

Silent Consonants
Words
aisle, team, spread, boat
great, heist, feud, pie,
toe
pale, scene, lime, stove,
fuse
pail, receive, believe,
Consonants
juice
b
people, jeopardy
c guess,
gauge, laugh,
d
guide
f
g
h

Silent Diagraph
Consonant Digraph
gh
Some silent letters are
are created.
Base Words
sign (silent letter g)
bomb (silent letter b)
solemn (silent letter n)

k
l
m
n
p
s
t
w
z

Words
comb, tomb, bomb, debt
black, scene, science
fudge, bridge, ledge
cliff, stuff, staff
gnarl, gnaw, gnome,
foreign, sign
ghost, whistle; school,
chord
knee, knife, knowledge
quill, swell, tall
mnemonics
condemn, column, solemn
pneumonia, receipt
brass, fuss, press
Words depot, potpourri, watch
high, daughter
window, shadow, answer
jazz, buzz

sounded when other word forms

Other Word Forms

signal, signature
bombard, bombardier
solemnity, solemnize

SILENT LETTER WORDS

Many words in English have silent letters. Silent letters are letters that you can't hear when you say the word, but that
are there when you write the word.
You can put your mouse over a word to see the silent letter highlighted. Click a word to hear the correct pronunciation.
Silent
B:
aplom
b
bomb
climb
comb
crumb
debt
doubt
dumb
jamb
lamb
limb
numb
plumb
subtle
succu
mb
thumb
tomb
womb

Silent C:

Silent D:

abscess
ascend
ascent
conscience

handkerch
ief
sandwich
#
Wednesda
y

conscious
crescent
descend
descent
disciple
fascinate
fluorescent
incandesce
nt
isosceles
luminescen
t
miscellane
ous
muscle
obscene
resuscitate
scenario
scene
scent
scissors

Silent
G:
align
assign
benign
campaig
n
champag
ne
cologne
consign
design
feign
foreign
gnarl
gnash
gnat
gnaw
gnome
gnu
reign
resign
sign

Silent H:
ache
anchor
archeology
architect
archives
chaos
character
characteris
tic
charisma
chemical
chemist
chemother
apy
chlorine
choir
cholera
chord
choreograp
h
chorus
Christian
Christmas
chrome
echo
leprechaun
loch
mechanical
melancholy
monarch
monochro
me
orchestra
orchid
psychic
scheme
school
stomach
technical

Silent
K:
knack
knapsac
k
knave
knead
knee
kneel
knell
knew
knickers
knife
knight
knit
knob
knock
knoll
knot
know
knowled
ge
knuckle

Silent
N:
autumn
column
conde
mn
damn
hymn
solemn

Silent P:
psychology
pneumonia
pseudo
psychiatrist
psychiatry
psychother
apy
psychotic
receipt

Silent
T:
apostle
bristle
bustle
castle
fasten
glisten
hustle
jostle
listen
moiste
n
mortga
ge
often *
nestle
rustle
soften *
thistle
trestle
whistle
wrestle

Silent
U:
baguett
e
biscuit
build
built
circuit
disguis
e
guess
guest
guide
guild
guile
guilloti
ne
guilt
guilty
guise
guitar
rogue
silhoue
tte

Silent
W:
awry
playwrig
ht
sword
wrack
wrangle
wrap
wrapper
wrath
wreak
wreath
wreck
wreckag
e
wren
wrench
wrest
wrestle
wretch
wretche
d
wriggle
wring
wrinkle
wrist
writ
write
writhe
wrong
wrote
wrought
wrung
wry

technique
technology
* Note: These words can be pronounced with or without the silent letter /t/
# Note: This word can be pronunced with or without the silent letter /d/