Silent Letters and English Spelling
Why English isn’t spoken the way it’s written, and the patterns that help.
English spelling often shows how words sounded centuries ago, or where they came from. Many letters are no longer pronounced. The good news: most silent letters follow patterns you can learn.
Why Is English Spelling So Strange?
Three short reasons.
- Sounds changed, spelling didn’t. The k in knife and the gh in night were once pronounced.
- Borrowed words. English took words from French, Latin and Greek and often kept their spelling: psychology, debt, rhythm.
- Printing fixed the spelling in the 15th and 16th centuries, while pronunciation kept changing.
Silent Letters A–Z
The most useful patterns, with common examples.
| Letter | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| b | after m, before t | climb, comb, thumb, debt, doubt, subtle |
| c | after s | muscle, scissors, scene, science |
| d | in a few words | Wednesday, handsome, sandwich |
| g | before n | sign, design, foreign, gnome |
| gh | after a vowel | night, high, daughter, though, weigh |
| h | at the start of some words; after w | hour, honest, honour, heir; what, why |
| k | before n | knife, know, knee, knock, knowledge |
| l | before k, f, m, d | walk, talk, half, calm, could, should, salmon |
| n | after m | autumn, column, damn |
| p | before s, n, t | psychology, pneumonia, receipt, cupboard |
| s | before l | island, aisle |
| t | after s, before -en/-le | listen, castle, whistle, Christmas, often |
| u | after g | guess, guitar, guide, guest |
| w | before r; other words | write, wrong, wrist, answer, sword, two |
Note: Some speakers pronounce the t in often. Both /ˈɒfn/ and /ˈɒftən/ are correct.
One Spelling, Many Sounds
The famous -ough spelling has at least seven pronunciations.
| Word | Sound | Rhymes with |
|---|---|---|
| though | /ðəʊ/ | go |
| through | /θruː/ | blue |
| tough | /tʌf/ | stuff |
| cough | /kɒf/ | off |
| thought | /θɔːt/ | sort |
| bough | /baʊ/ | now |
| thorough | /ˈθʌrə/ | — |
2Same spelling, different word
| Word | Sound 1 | Sound 2 |
|---|---|---|
| read | /riːd/ (present) | /red/ (past) |
| live | /lɪv/ (verb) | /laɪv/ (adjective) |
| lead | /liːd/ (to guide) | /led/ (the metal) |
| wind | /wɪnd/ (air) | /waɪnd/ (to turn) |
| tear | /tɪə/ (from your eye) | /teə/ (to rip) |
| close | /kləʊz/ (verb) | /kləʊs/ (near) |
| record | /ˈrekɔːd/ (noun) | /rɪˈkɔːd/ (verb) |
Commonly Mispronounced Words
These words are often pronounced the way they’re written.
| Word | Say | Not |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | /ˈwenzdeɪ/ | wed-nes-day |
| February | /ˈfebruəri/ | feb-ru-ary |
| clothes | /kləʊðz/ | clo-thes |
| recipe | /ˈresəpi/ | re-sipe |
| women | /ˈwɪmɪn/ | wo-men |
| busy, business | /ˈbɪzi/, /ˈbɪznəs/ | bu-sy |
| choir | /ˈkwaɪə/ | cho-ir |
| suite | /swiːt/ | suit |
| quay | /kiː/ | kway |
| Leicester, Worcester | /ˈlestə/, /ˈwʊstə/ | lei-ces-ter |
2Homophones
Silent letters mean that many words sound the same but are spelt differently:
- write – right
- knight – night
- know – no
- hour – our
- whole – hole
- two – to – too
- wait – weight
- which – witch
3Tip for German speakers
Tip: German is spoken almost exactly as it is written, so German speakers tend to pronounce every letter. When you learn a new English word, look up the pronunciation straight away. Don’t guess from the spelling.
Check Yourself
Find the silent letter, then open the answer.
-
Which letter is silent in knee?
Show answer
k: /niː/
-
Which letter is silent in doubt?
Show answer
b: /daʊt/
-
Which letter is silent in listen?
Show answer
t: /ˈlɪsn/
-
Which letter is silent in island?
Show answer
s: /ˈaɪlənd/
-
Which letter is silent in half?
Show answer
l: /hɑːf/
-
Which letters are silent in Wednesday?
Show answer
The first d and the second e: /ˈwenzdeɪ/
-
Does tough rhyme with though?
Show answer
No. tough /tʌf/ rhymes with stuff, though /ðəʊ/ rhymes with go.
Keep Practising
Related pages in the Pronunciation Studio.
Learn the Sound, Not Just the Spelling
Every time you learn a new word, learn how it sounds as well as how it is written. Patterns help, but the dictionary is your best friend.
Look it up. Listen. Say it.
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