Many letters in written English are silent. ESL speakers often still pronounce them because they learnt that word from a book. The spelling of a word often interferes with how we hear it, too.
Words with a silent “B”
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bomb /bɔm/, womb /wuːm/, tomb /tuːm/
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comb /koʊm/, climb /klaɪm/
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lamb /læm/
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thumb /θʌm/, plumb, crumb etc
Words with a silent “P”
- receipt /rəˈsit/
Words with a silent “L”
Words with a silent initial letter
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W: who /huː/ – no W!
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W: write, wrong, wrap, wreck, wrist – a W before R is never pronounced
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K: knight, know, knock, knee, knuckle – a K before N is always silent
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G: gnat, gnu, gnocchi – the same for G before N
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P, M: psychology, mnemonic, pneumatic – an initial P and M in words of Ancient Greek origin are often silent
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H: honest /ˈɑnɪst/, “H” /eɪtʃ/, honor – no H there!
Always check the IPA
The English spelling often dates back to when the word was pronounced the way it’s written, but then the sounds has changed.
In many of the examples above, the silent letter was at some point pronounced, but it’s not anymore.
As a general tip, you should always check the IPA of any new word that you learn. It’s impossible to predict how the English language will trip you up even with simplest-looking words.
Cover photo by Ernie A. Stephens on Unsplash