In English pronunciation, a silent letter—a term used informally—is a letter or letter combination of the alphabet that is usually not pronounced in a word. Examples include the ‘b’ in subtle, the ‘c’ in scissors, the ‘g’ in design, the -‘t’ in listen, and the ‘gh’ in thought. One of the main tasks while learning and speaking English is silent letters. It’s one main hurdle when it comes to pronunciation, spelling or intonation which can jeopardize your speaking tasks during IELTS.
Silent letters make a huge difference in the way we write and pronounce words. There are many different rules that can help you better understand these silent pieces of vocabulary, so read below!
Rules for Silent Letters and Words:
| Silent Letters | Rules | Explanation |
| B | The letter B is usually not pronounced after M at the end of a word. For example comb, bomb, thumb, and climb, tomb, crumb, and lamb. | It is usually not pronounced before the letter T. For example doubt, doubtful, subtle, debt. |
| C | The letter C is usually not pronounced in the combination of SC. For example, scissors, ascent, fascinate, muscle. | C is usually mute before the letters K and Q. For example, aqua, acquit, acquiesce. |
| D | The letter D is silent when it appears before the letters N and G. For example, Wednesday, cadge, pledge, grudge. | D is not pronounced in the following Common words. For example, Wednesday, handsome, handkerchief, sandwich |
| E | If the letter E comes at the ends of words, it is generally not pronounced. For example, fore, table, before, write, give, hide. | If E occurs before the letter D in the second and third forms of the verbs, E may sometimes not be pronounced. For example, bored, fixed, smuggled, and begged. |
| G | The G letter is not pronounced when it comes before N in a word. For example Design, foreign, sign, gnash, and align. Exceptions- magnet, igneous, cognitive, signature. | |
| GH | GH is not pronounced when it comes after a vowel in a word. For example, high, light, thought, through alight. | Exceptions: GH is pronounced separately in compound words. Except for examples from Rule 1, GH is sometimes pronounced like F, consider the words like draught, cough, laugh, tough. |
| H | The letter H is usually silent when it appears after W. For example Why, what, when, weather, where. Sometimes the letter H is not silent after W, consider the words below. For example whose, whosoever, who, whoever, whole. | H is mute at the beginning of many words (remember to use the article “an” with unvoiced H). For example, hour, honest, honor, heir. Exceptions: Most of the words beginning with H are not silent (remember to use the article “a” with voiced H) For example history, history, hair, happy. |
| K | The letter K is always silent when it precedes the letter N in a word. For example, know, knock, knife, knight, knowledge. | |
| L | The letter L is usually not pronounced after the vowels: A, O, and U. For example, calf, half, palm, would, should, could, folk, yolk. | |
| N | The letter N is not pronounced when it comes after M at the end of a word. For example, column, damn, solemn, autumn. | |
| P | The letter P is not pronounced at the beginning of many words using the combinations PS, PT, and PN. For example, psalm psephology, pterodactyl, and pneumonia, pneumatic. | |
| PH | PH is sometimes pronounced like F. For example, paragraph, elephant, telephone. | |
| S | The letter S is not pronounced before L in the following words, aisle, island, isle, and islet. | |
| T | The letter T is not pronounced in the following common English words: castle, Christmas, fasten, listen, often, beret, Chevrolet, whistle, thistle, bustle, hasten, soften, rapport, gourmet, ballet. | |
| U | The letter U is not pronounced when it comes after G and before a vowel in a word. For example, guide, guest, guard, guest, guano. | |
| W | The letter W is not pronounced at the beginning of a word when it is before the letter R. For example Write, wrest, wrong, wrack, wrap. | W is silent in the following words, who, whose, whole, whom, whose, whoever, answer, sword, two. |
List of Silent Letters and Words
| Letters | Words |
| Silent B | aplomb bomb climb comb coulomb crumb doubt dumb jamb lamb limb numb plumb subtle succumb thumb tomb womb |
| Silent C | abscess ascent ascent conscience conscious crescent descend descent disciple evanesce fascinate fluorescent muscle obscene resuscitate scenario science scene scissors |
| Silent D | bridge edge handkerchief handsome handful grandson ledger sandwich Wednesday |
| Silent E | hate name breathe |
| Silent K | knack knave knead knee kneel knell knew knickers knife knight knit knob knock knoll knot know knowledge knuckle |
| Silent L | would should calf half salmon talk yolk |
| Silent P | psychology pneumonia pseudo psychiatrist psychiatry psychotherapy psychotic receipt |
| Silent U | baguette biscuit build building built circuit disguise guess guest guide guild guilt guilty guise guitar rogue silhouette |
| Silent N | autumn column condemn damn hymn solemn |
| Silent T | apostle bristle bustle castle fast hustle listen moisten often |
| Silent M | mnemonic |
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