Silent Letters in English: Rules, Patterns and 100 Examples

A silent letter is a letter you write but never say. The k in knee /niː/, the b in thumb /θʌm/ and the w in write /raɪt/ are all silent, and around a quarter of English words contain at least one. This guide covers the patterns that hold, the ones that leak, and more than 150 examples with transcriptions.

Silent letters are the main reason English spelling cannot be trusted as a guide to sound. Type any word below into the pronunciation Studio and the transcription shows you exactly which letters survive into speech.

Why English has silent letters

Three different histories produced them, and knowing which is which makes the patterns easier to hold on to.

Sounds that were lost. The k in knight, the w in write and the g in gnaw were all pronounced in Old and Middle English. Speech moved on, spelling did not. Anyone reading Chaucer aloud in the original would sound the k in knight and the gh in the middle of it.

Letters added on purpose. In the sixteenth century, scholars inserted letters into words to show their Latin roots. Dette became debt because Latin had debitum. Doute became doubt because of dubitare. The letters were never pronounced in English at all: they were added to a word that already existed.

Words borrowed whole. English took words from French, Greek and other languages and kept their spelling. Ballet, depot and buffet arrived from French with endings that French does not pronounce either. Psychology and pneumonia kept Greek clusters that English does not allow at the start of a word.

Silent letters are not random, then. They are a record of where each word came from and what has happened to it since.

Silent B

The letter b is silent in two positions: after m at the end of a word, and before t.

After m: climb /klaɪm/, comb /kəʊm/, thumb /θʌm/, lamb /læm/, limb /lɪm/, numb /nʌm/, bomb /bɒm/, crumb /krʌm/, dumb /dʌm/, tomb /tuːm/, womb /wuːm/, plumber /ˈplʌmə/.

Before t: debt /dɛt/, doubt /daʊt/, subtle /ˈsʌtəl/.

The mb pattern is one of the most reliable in English. The b stays silent even when an ending is added, so climbing is /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/ and bomber is /ˈbɒmə/. The exception is when the ending starts a new syllable that pulls the b into it, as in timber and number, which were never mb words in the first place.

Silent C

The letter c goes quiet mainly after s.

Examples: scissors /ˈsɪzəz/, science /ˈsaɪəns/, scene /siːn/, scent /sɛnt/, muscle /ˈmʌsəl/, ascend /əˈsɛnd/, descend /dɪˈsɛnd/, fascinate /ˈfæsɪneɪt/, discipline /ˈdɪsɪplɪn/, conscience /ˈkɒnʃəns/.

This one leaks. Plenty of sc words pronounce both letters: scan, scope, score, scandal. The silent c appears almost entirely before e, i or y, which is where c would have been said as /s/ anyway, leaving two s sounds where English wants one.

Silent D

A small group, and most of them involve a d squeezed between other consonants.

Examples: Wednesday /ˈwɛnzdeɪ/, handkerchief /ˈhæŋkətʃɪf/, handsome /ˈhænsəm/, sandwich /ˈsænwɪdʒ/.

Wednesday is the extreme case: three syllables in writing, two in speech, with the d and the middle vowel both gone. It comes from Woden’s day, and the spelling still shows the original owner.

Silent E

The most common silent letter in the language, and the only one that does a job while staying silent. A final e is not pronounced, but it usually changes the vowel before it from short to long.

Examples: make /meɪk/, time /taɪm/, hope /həʊp/, like /laɪk/, name /neɪm/, note /nəʊt/, bite /baɪt/, rose /rəʊz/, wide /waɪd/, cake /keɪk/.

Compare hop /hɒp/ with hope /həʊp/, and bit /bɪt/ with bite /baɪt/. The e is doing all the work and never makes a sound itself.

Final e has other jobs too. It keeps c and g soft in dance and change, and it stops an English word from ending in v or u, which is why have and give end in e despite having short vowels.

Silent G

Silent before n, both at the start of a word and at the end.

Examples: gnome /nəʊm/, gnaw /nɔː/, gnat /næt/, sign /saɪn/, design /dɪˈzaɪn/, reign /reɪn/, foreign /ˈfɒrɪn/, campaign /kæmˈpeɪn/, champagne /ʃæmˈpeɪn/, align /əˈlaɪn/, resign /rɪˈzaɪn/, assign /əˈsaɪn/, benign /bɪˈnaɪn/.

There is a neat test buried in this group. The g comes back when a suffix splits it from the n: sign /saɪn/ but signature /ˈsɪɡnətʃə/, resign /rɪˈzaɪn/ but resignation /ˌrɛzɪɡˈneɪʃən/, benign /bɪˈnaɪn/ but benignant. The letter was never removed from the word, only from the position where English stopped saying it.

Silent GH

The largest and least predictable group. In the middle or at the end of a word, gh is usually silent, and it often lengthens or changes the vowel before it.

Examples: light /laɪt/, night /naɪt/, right /raɪt/, bright /braɪt/, thought /θɔːt/, through /θruː/, though /ðəʊ/, daughter /ˈdɔːtə/, weight /weɪt/, height /haɪt/, eight /eɪt/, straight /streɪt/, neighbour /ˈneɪbə/, caught /kɔːt/, taught /tɔːt/.

Now the leak. In another set of words the same two letters are said /f/: laugh /lɑːf/, cough /kɒf/, tough /tʌf/, rough /rʌf/, enough /ɪˈnʌf/. And at the start of a word gh is a plain /ɡ/: ghost /ɡəʊst/, ghastly /ˈɡɑːstli/.

The -ough ending is the worst offender in English spelling, with at least six pronunciations across through, though, thought, tough, cough and bough. There is no pattern to extract. These are learned one at a time, and they turn up again in the difficult words guide.

Silent H

Silent in four situations: at the start of a small set of words, after w in some accents, after g and r, and inside some borrowed words.

Examples: hour /ˈaʊə/, honest /ˈɒnɪst/, honour /ˈɒnə/, heir /eə/, ghost /ɡəʊst/, rhyme /raɪm/, rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/, exhaust /ɪɡˈzɔːst/, vehicle /ˈviːɪkəl/, Thomas /ˈtɒməs/.

The wh group depends on the accent. Most English speakers say what, when and where with a plain /w/, so the h is silent. A minority, mostly in Scotland, Ireland and parts of the American South, keep a breathy sound there and distinguish which from witch. Both are standard.

The h in herb splits by country. British English says /hɜːb/ with the h. American English says /ɜːrb/ without it. Neither is a mistake.

Silent K

The cleanest pattern in the whole guide. A word that starts with kn always has a silent k, with no exceptions in ordinary English.

Examples: know /nəʊ/, knee /niː/, knife /naɪf/, knock /nɒk/, knot /nɒt/, knight /naɪt/, knowledge /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/, knuckle /ˈnʌkəl/, knit /nɪt/, kneel /niːl/.

This is worth learning as a block precisely because it never fails. If you see kn at the start, say n.

Silent L

Silent before f, k, m and d, mostly after the vowels a, o and ou.

Examples: calm /kɑːm/, palm /pɑːm/, half /hɑːf/, calf /kɑːf/, walk /wɔːk/, talk /tɔːk/, chalk /tʃɔːk/, folk /fəʊk/, would /wʊd/, could /kʊd/, should /ʃʊd/, salmon /ˈsæmən/, almond /ˈɑːmənd/, yolk /jəʊk/.

Almond is a genuine split: /ˈɑːmənd/ without the l is standard in British English, and many American speakers say it with an l. Salmon keeps its l silent almost everywhere.

Silent N

Silent after m at the end of a word. The mirror image of the silent b rule.

Examples: autumn /ˈɔːtəm/, column /ˈkɒləm/, hymn /hɪm/, solemn /ˈsɒləm/, condemn /kənˈdɛm/, damn /dæm/.

The n returns when a suffix follows: autumnal /ɔːˈtʌmnəl/, columnist is one of the few that keeps it silent, solemnity /səˈlɛmnɪti/, condemnation /ˌkɒndɛmˈneɪʃən/. English does not allow mn at the end of a syllable, but it allows it across a syllable break.

Silent P

Silent at the start of Greek-derived clusters, and in a handful of others.

Examples: psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/, psychiatry /saɪˈkaɪətri/, pseudonym /ˈsjuːdənɪm/, pneumonia /njuːˈməʊniə/, pterodactyl /ˌtɛrəˈdæktɪl/, psalm /sɑːm/, receipt /rɪˈsiːt/, cupboard /ˈkʌbəd/, raspberry /ˈrɑːzbəri/, corps /kɔː/.

Greek allowed ps, pn and pt at the start of a word and English does not, so the p was dropped in speech and kept in writing. Corps is the extreme case: both the p and the s are silent, so the word is said exactly like core.

Silent S

A small group, mostly from French.

Examples: island /ˈaɪlənd/, isle /aɪl/, aisle /aɪl/, debris /ˈdɛbriː/, viscount /ˈvaɪkaʊnt/, Illinois /ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ/, bourgeois /ˈbʊəʒwɑː/.

Island has a strange history. It comes from Old English iegland and never had an s at all. The letter was inserted by scholars who thought it was related to the French isle, which is where the genuine silent s lives. The correction was wrong and it stuck.

Silent T

Silent in the -stle and -sten endings, and in many words borrowed from French.

Examples: castle /ˈkɑːsəl/, whistle /ˈwɪsəl/, listen /ˈlɪsən/, fasten /ˈfɑːsən/, hustle /ˈhʌsəl/, bustle /ˈbʌsəl/, wrestle /ˈrɛsəl/, ballet /ˈbæleɪ/, buffet /ˈbʊfeɪ/, gourmet /ˈɡʊəmeɪ/, depot /ˈdɛpəʊ/, rapport /ræˈpɔː/, often /ˈɒfən/.

Often is the one people argue about. The t was dropped centuries ago, then partly restored by speakers who could see it in the spelling. Both /ˈɒfən/ and /ˈɒftən/ are listed as standard, so neither can be corrected.

Silent U

Silent after g, where it exists to keep the g hard.

Examples: guess /ɡɛs/, guest /ɡɛst/, guitar /ɡɪˈtɑː/, guide /ɡaɪd/, guard /ɡɑːd/, tongue /tʌŋ/, biscuit /ˈbɪskɪt/, build /bɪld/, guilty /ˈɡɪlti/, league /liːɡ/.

This is a working silent letter rather than a leftover. Without the u, guess would be read as gess with a /dʒ/, because g before e and i is usually soft. The u is a spelling instruction, not a sound.

Silent W

Silent before r, and in a few common words.

Examples: write /raɪt/, wrong /rɒŋ/, wrap /ræp/, wrist /rɪst/, wreck /rɛk/, wrestle /ˈrɛsəl/, answer /ˈɑːnsə/, sword /sɔːd/, two /tuː/, who /huː/, whole /həʊl/.

The wr pattern is as reliable as kn. Every English word starting wr has a silent w, and the sound left over is a plain /r/. That makes write and right homophones, along with wrap and rap, wring and ring, wrote and rote.

What counts as a pattern and what does not

Four of the groups above are reliable enough to trust on sight.

The last three rows are where guessing fails. There is no way to look at tough and though and work out that one ends in /f/ and the other in a vowel. Those words have to be checked individually, and so do the silent h words, which are a closed list rather than a pattern.

Letters that go silent only in some accents

Not every silent letter is silent for everyone. Several depend entirely on which English you speak, and calling one version correct would be wrong.

The letter r. This is the biggest case of all, and it is easy to miss because nobody thinks of r as a silent letter. In standard British English, the r in car, hard, water and farmer is not pronounced at all: car is /kɑː/. In standard American English every one of those r letters is said. Around half the world’s English speakers have a silent r in those positions and the other half do not.

The letter t between vowels. Many American speakers turn the t in water and better into a fast tap, and in casual speech the t in interview or twenty can disappear entirely. British English generally keeps a full /t/.

The h in herb. Said in British English, silent in American English.

The l in almond and calm. Silent for most British speakers, often pronounced in North America.

The first r in February. February is widely said /ˈfɛbjuəri/ with the first r dropped, and /ˈfɛbruəri/ with it kept. Both are listed in dictionaries.

Where a difference is this systematic, the honest answer is to pick the accent you are aiming for and be consistent within it, rather than mixing features from both. The Studio has a British and American switch for exactly this reason.

Silent letters in names and places

Personal names and place names hold on to silent letters long after ordinary words have given them up, which is why they are the hardest category of all.

British place names are the extreme example. Leicester is /ˈlɛstə/, losing four letters. Gloucester is /ˈɡlɒstə/. Worcester is /ˈwʊstə/. Edinburgh is /ˈɛdɪnbərə/. In each case a whole syllable of the written form has vanished from the spoken one.

Names behave the same way. Siobhan is /ʃɪˈvɔːn/, with the b and h combining into a /v/ and the o doing almost nothing. Niamh is /niːv/. Sean is /ʃɔːn/. These come from Irish spelling conventions that work perfectly well in Irish and not at all in English.

There is one important difference between names and ordinary words. A dictionary can settle thumb. It cannot settle a person’s name, because the person decides. If you are writing your own name out for someone to read aloud, spell the sounds rather than the letters and mark the stress, as the graduation name guide sets out. For place names, local usage is the authority, and the mispronounced place names guide covers fifty of them.

Practice: say the word, then count the sounds

Read each word aloud, then work out how many sounds it has. The letter count is given so you can see the gap.

1. knight (6 letters)
2. thumb (5 letters)
3. island (6 letters)
4. psalm (5 letters)
5. Wednesday (9 letters)
6. corps (5 letters)
7. rhythm (6 letters)
8. subtle (6 letters)
9. would (5 letters)
10. straight (8 letters)

Question 7 is the interesting one. Rhythm has a silent h, and it also has a vowel sound in the second syllable that no letter represents: /ˈrɪðəm/ contains a schwa between the th and the m. English can hide a sound as easily as it can invent a letter, which is another reason to check the transcription rather than the spelling. The schwa guide covers that weak vowel and how often it turns up unwritten.

Counting the damage

Set out as a table, the size of each group is easy to see.

The counts are approximate and cover words in ordinary use rather than every entry in a dictionary. The shape is what matters: one enormous group, one unpredictable group, and a dozen small groups that can be learned in an afternoon.

A note on hearing, not reading

Silent letters are only a problem if you pronounce from spelling. Once you are reading transcriptions, they stop existing: /naɪt/ contains no k because there is no k sound to write down.

That is the practical argument for learning IPA even at a basic level. A transcription tells you the truth about a word in a way spelling never will. If the symbols are new, how to read IPA starts from the beginning, and the Studio will show you the transcription for any word you are unsure about.

For the words where silent letters are only part of the problem, and stress or an unfamiliar vowel adds to it, the 100 difficult words guide covers the words that catch out fluent speakers as well as learners.