What are silent letters in English?
The effect of silent letters is seen in many common words. These have originated due to changes in pronunciation or words borrowed from other languages. Example- In ‘Knight’, ‘K’ was spoken in old English, but now it is silent. Similarly, the last letter ie ‘T’ in the French word ‘Ballet’ is silent. Understanding these patterns will not only strengthen your English, but will also make your image fantastic in competitive examinations or professional life. It is important to understand the game of silent letters to master English.
30 words in English with silent letter
In the English language, the last letters or parts of some words are ‘silent’ (silent) i.e. they are not pronounced. It is usually due to historical, grammatical or language development. Know, 30 such English words, in which the last letter or part is silent.
1- Thumb (stop): Silent ‘B’; ‘B’ was pronounced in central English, not now.
3- Debt (date): Silent ‘B’; From French ‘Dette’, ‘B’ was connected to Latin effect.
5- Lamb (lam): Silent ‘B’; Germanic original, accent became simple.
7- Subtle (sutal): Silent ‘B’; From the French ‘Subtiil’, ‘B’ lost pronunciation.
9- Knight (Night): Silent ‘K’; ‘K’ was spoken in old English.
11- knee (ni): Silent ‘K’; The ancient pronunciation included ‘K’.
13- Knife (Knife): Silent ‘K’; ‘K’ was spoken in Germanic language.
15- Wrong (Rong): Silent ‘w’; ‘W’ was spoken in the middle period.
17- Hour (Hour): Silent ‘h’; From the French ‘Heure’, ‘H’ is silent.
19- Heir (Air): Silent ‘h’; The ‘H’ became silent due to the French effect.
21- Design (Design): Silent ‘g’; From Latin ‘Designare’, ‘G’ is not pronounced.
23- Champagne (Champagne): Silent ‘E’; ‘E’ is often silent in French.
25- Beret (Bere): Silent ‘t’; French original, ‘T’ is silent.
27- Croissant (Croce): Silent ‘t’; French words, last ‘t’ silent.
29- Corps (Core): Silent ‘PS’; From French ‘Corps’, ‘PS’ is silent.
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