Silent letters in English: list and rules
A large share of English words contain a letter that is not pronounced. Most follow a pattern you can learn: K is silent before N, B after M, W before R, L in -alk and -ould. The list below gives each silent letter with its rule.
Say them without the silent letter
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- knife/naɪf/
- know/noʊ/
- write/raɪt/
- wrong/rɔŋ/
- climb/klaɪm/
- debt/dɛt/
- doubt/daʊt/
- walk/wɔk/
- talk/tɔk/
- could/kʊd/
- half/hæf/
- listen/ˈlɪsən/
- castle/ˈkæsəl/
- island/ˈaɪlənd/
- receipt/rɪˈsit/
- psychology/saɪˈkɑlədʒi/
- honest/ˈɑnəst/
- sign/saɪn/
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Silent letters by letter
| Letter | When it is silent | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| B | after M at the end of a word; before T | climb, comb, thumb, lamb, debt, doubt, subtle |
| C | in SC before E or I; in a few others | science, scene, muscle, scissors |
| D | in a few common words | Wednesday, handsome, sandwich |
| G | before N | sign, design, foreign, gnome |
| GH | after a vowel, usually | night, high, though, daughter, thought |
| H | in some words of French origin; after W, G, R | hour, honest, honor, what, ghost, rhythm |
| K | before N at the start | knife, know, knee, knock, knight |
| L | in -alk, -alf, -alm, -ould | walk, talk, half, calm, could, would, should |
| N | after M at the end | autumn, column, hymn |
| P | before S, N or T in Greek words | psychology, pneumonia, receipt |
| S | in a few words | island, aisle, debris |
| T | in -sten, -stle; in French loans | listen, fasten, castle, whistle, ballet |
| W | before R; in a few others | write, wrong, wrist, answer, sword, two, who |
Why English has silent letters
Three reasons. Sounds disappeared but spelling stayed: the K in “knife” and the GH in “night” were pronounced in Middle English. Scholars added letters to show Latin roots: the B in “debt” and “doubt” was never pronounced in English. And loanwords kept their foreign spelling: “ballet”, “psychology”, “rendezvous”.
The letters people argue about
| Word | Sounds like | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| often | /ˈɔfən/ | Both versions are standard; the silent-T form is more common. | |
| salmon | /ˈsæmən/ | The L is always silent. | |
| almond | /ˈɑmənd/ | The L is silent for many speakers. | |
| Wednesday | /ˈwɛnzdi/ | Two syllables: “WENZ-day”. | |
| February | /ˈfɛbjəˌwɛri/ | Many natives drop the first R. | |
| clothes | /kloʊðz/ | Usually said like “close”. | |
| comfortable | /ˈkʌmfɚtəbəl/ | Three syllables: “KUMF-ter-bul”. | |
| vegetable | /ˈvɛdʒtəbəl/ | Three syllables: “VEJ-tuh-bul”. |
Questions people ask
Is the T in “often” silent?
Both pronunciations are accepted. Dictionaries list the silent-T version first.
Is silent E a silent letter?
Yes, but it has a job: it makes the previous vowel long. Compare “hat” and “hate”, “bit” and “bite”.
How can I know if a letter is silent?
Learn the patterns above, then check new words in a dictionary with audio or the IPA tool. Spelling alone is not reliable.
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