Silent Letters in English

Pronunciation

Silent Letters in English

Recognise useful spelling patterns and keep your speech clear.

A2–B2 · 20 minutes

Created by , British English teacher.

Your goal: Identify selected silent consonants and pronounce their words naturally in short sentences.

Listen, repeat, then try the activities.

1. What are silent letters?

In know /nəʊ/ (British English), the initial k does not represent a separate sound. Start with /n/. American English has a different vowel here, but the same silent k.

Look at the spelling

know · write · thumb

The bold letter is written but not pronounced in these words.

Keep the spoken word complete

Silent does not mean whisper the letter or add a weak vowel. Say the actual sounds smoothly: know, write, thumb.

The goal: clearer speech and better word recognition. You do not need to memorise a long list of unusual spellings.

Quick check: does knee begin with a /k/ sound or an /n/ sound?

Check the quick example

It begins with /n/. The k is silent, just as in know.

2. Three useful consonant patterns

Start with these common words
Spelling patternWordsHow to start or finish
Initial kn-know, kneeStart with /n/, without /k/.
Initial wr-write, wrongStart with the r sound, without /w/.
Final -mbthumb, climbFinish the word with /m/, without /b/.

Practise each word in a short sentence: I know the answer. Please write it down. We can climb the hill.

These are useful patterns in the listed words, not instructions to delete every k, w or b. The b in number, for example, is pronounced.

A physical cue for thumb

At the end of thumb, your lips are together for /m/, with sound passing through the nose. Finish there. Do not add a separate /b/ release or an extra syllable.

Hear the spelling patterns

Choose a voice. Listen without reading, then open the transcript and identify each silent letter. Repeat the sentence with the same number of syllables.

Amanda · American English. Libby · British English. The selected silent consonants are shared by these two models.

Amanda · English (United States)

Model transcript and listening guidance

Know, write and thumb: Know. Knee. Write. Wrong. Thumb. Climb. I know the answer. Please write it down. We can climb the hill.

Honest, hour and word families: An honest answer. An hour later. Sign. Signature. Please sign beside your name. Your signature goes here.

Listening guidance: The initial k in know, initial w in write, final b in thumb, and h in honest and hour are silent. The g is silent in sign but pronounced in signature.

3. Check the word, not just the letter

Useful exceptions and word families
Word or pairWhat to notice
honest, hourThe h is silent. These words begin with vowel sounds.
sign → signatureThe g is silent in sign, but is pronounced in signature.
climb → climbingThe b remains silent in climbing.
hour → houseHour has a silent h; house normally starts with /h/.

Because the choice of a/an follows the next sound, say an honest answer and an hour, but a house.

Accent check: do not apply a “silent r” rule to both voices. Amanda is American and Libby is British. This lesson selects silent consonants shared by these two models.

For an unfamiliar word, use a dictionary recording and phonetic transcription. Spelling gives clues, but does not guarantee pronunciation.

4. Look, listen, cover, say

  1. Look: underline the silent letter in one target word.
  2. Listen: choose Amanda or Libby and hear the model.
  3. Cover: hide the spelling and repeat the spoken word.
  4. Say: put it into a short sentence, then record yourself.
  5. Compare: check the beginning, ending and number of syllables. Try the other voice.

Practise three words accurately before adding more. Keep accent differences that do not interfere with the target consonants.

Repair and explain

Try each repair aloud or in writing before opening the answer.

A learner adds a /k/ sound before knee. What should change?

Check the repair

Begin directly with /n/: knee.

Initial kn- has a silent k in this word.

Repair: “I waited for a hour.” Explain the article choice.

Check the repair

I waited for an hour.

Hour begins with a vowel sound because h is silent. The article follows sound, not spelling.

Mastery quiz

Listening voice

Choose one answer for each question. Check your answers, read the explanations, then retry any you missed.

1. Which letter is silent in know?
2. Which letter is silent in write?
3. Listen. Which word do you hear?
4. Listen. Which letter is silent in the word?
5. Listen. Why does the phrase use an?
6. What happens to g in sign and signature?
7. Which phrase is correct in the model pronunciations?
8. Which statement about climb and climbing is correct?
9. Should you delete every b that follows m?
10. What is the best next step for an unfamiliar spelling?

Full answer key with explanations
  1. k. Know begins with /n/; k is silent.
  2. w. Initial w is silent in write.
  3. Knee. You hear knee, beginning with /n/.
  4. b in thumb. Thumb ends in /m/; b is silent.
  5. The next sound is a vowel.. Hour starts with a vowel sound because h is silent.
  6. It is silent in sign but pronounced in signature.. A word-family change can change whether a letter is pronounced.
  7. An honest answer. Use an before the vowel sound at the start of honest.
  8. The b is silent in both.. Adding -ing does not make the b audible in climbing.
  9. No, check the word and the relevant pattern.. The final -mb examples are useful, but they do not cover every spelling context.
  10. Check a dictionary model, then practise it in a sentence.. A reliable recording and transcription help you check the actual sounds.

Put it into practice

Record four sentences using know, write, hour and sign. Mark the silent letters in your written script first.

Self-check: Compare your beginning and ending sounds with one model voice. Can you say each sentence without adding a sound for the silent letter?

Compare with a model

I know the address. Please write your name here. We will finish in an hour. Please sign at the bottom.