Silent Letters in English

Silent letter words are those letters in the English language that are used in written form in a word but are not pronounced. Silent letter words are a challenge for a beginner learner, which is why these words need to be remembered by heart. However, there are certain types and rules for silent word letters in order to make them easier for the learners.
Silent letter words are further categorized into two letter groups, i.e. Auxiliary and Dummy letters. Auxiliary Letters, usually, are a group of letters that are used to create a sound and these sounds cannot be made by a single letter.

For example:
sh(share), zh(treasure), ng(sing), th(this), ch(children), etc.

These sounds cannot be produced by a single letter from the 26 alphabets. The other category of silent letter words is dummy letters, which is further divided into two groups, i.e. Inert letters and Empty letters. Inert letters are those letters that are sometimes pronounced and at times they are not pronounced in a word.

For example, g in resign or malign is not pronounced, however, the same g is pronounced when the word is resignation or malignant. Empty letters are silent letters that are frequently used in the English language. For example, the letter b is silent in thumb, lamb, subtle, womb, etc. Letter c is silent in scissors, obscene, crescent, scenario, etc. Letter e is silent in cane, ape, bite, lie, etc. Letter m is silent in mnemonic. Letter i is silent in business, and permission, and so on.

All the above-given examples of silent letters are not the only ones that are found in the English language. There are many more silent letter words given below along with their pronunciations to make learning fun for you.

List of words with silent letters in English Language

A B C D E G H I K L N P S T U W

Silent A Words

  • Artistically
  • Logically
  • Musically
  • Physically
  • Critically

Silent B Words

  • Aplomb
  • Bomb
  • Climb
  • Comb
  • Coulomb
  • Crumb
  • Debt
  • Doubt
  • Dumb
  • Jamb
  • Lamb
  • Limb
  • Numb
  • Plumber
  • Subtle
  • Succumb
  • Thumb
  • Tomb
  • Womb

Silent C Words

  • Abscess
  • Ascend
  • Ascent
  • Conscience
  • Conscious
  • Crescent
  • Descend
  • Disciple
  • Evanesce
  • Fascinate
  • Fluorescent
  • Muscle
  • Obscene
  • Resuscitate
  • Scenario
  • Scene
  • Scent
  • Science
  • Scissors
  • Transcend

Silent D Words

  • Badge
  • Edge
  • Handkerchief
  • Handsome
  • Hedge
  • Sandwich
  • Wedge
  • Wednesday

Silent E Words

  • ace
  • age
  • ale
  • ape
  • are
  • ate
  • awe
  • axe
  • bye
  • cue
  • die
  • doe
  • due
  • dye
  • eke
  • eve
  • eye
  • ewe
  • foe
  • ice
  • lie
  • lye
  • owe
  • pie
  • roe
  • rye
  • sue
  • toe
  • use
  • woe
  • bake
  • bare
  • bate
  • bite
  • cage
  • cake
  • came
  • cane
  • case
  • cave
  • code
  • come
  • cove
  • cube
  • cute
  • dame
  • date
  • dime
  • dine
  • dove
  • doze
  • dude
  • fame
  • fare
  • fate
  • game
  • gape
  • gate
  • gave
  • give
  • hate
  • hope
  • hype
  • jove
  • jute
  • kite
  • lace
  • lake
  • late
  • lime
  • lose
  • love
  • mace
  • make
  • mane
  • mare
  • mate
  • maze
  • mete
  • mime
  • mite
  • mode
  • mope
  • mute
  • name
  • nape
  • nose
  • note
  • pace
  • page
  • pane
  • pike
  • pine
  • pipe
  • pope
  • ride
  • ripe
  • rite
  • robe
  • rode
  • rose
  • rune
  • same
  • shoe
  • take
  • tame
  • tape
  • time
  • type
  • wine
  • wise
  • abase
  • abide
  • abode
  • above
  • abuse
  • acute
  • adore
  • anime
  • bible
  • blade
  • blame
  • blare
  • brave
  • bride
  • close
  • crane
  • crime
  • curve
  • drive
  • evoke
  • fluke
  • flume
  • flute
  • frame
  • gauge
  • goose
  • grace
  • grate
  • grave
  • gripe
  • grove
  • hence
  • knave
  • loose
  • mauve
  • moose
  • niece
  • orate
  • pause
  • peace
  • plane
  • scene
  • skate
  • slate
  • spite
  • state
  • stove
  • tease
  • trite
  • whine
  • wrote
  • calculate
  • clothe
  • conceive
  • courage
  • expense
  • extreme
  • fleece
  • grease
  • handle
  • perceive
  • please
  • preserve
  • receive
  • reserve
  • squeeze
  • stripe
  • turpentine
  • zygote

Silent G Words

  • Align
  • Assign
  • Benign
  • Campaign
  • Champagne
  • Cologne
  • Consign
  • Design
  • Feign
  • Foreign
  • Gnarl
  • Gnarly
  • Gnome
  • Reign
  • Resign
  • Sign

Silent H Words

  • Ache
  • Anchor
  • Archaeology
  • Architect
  • Chaos
  • Character
  • Charisma
  • Chemical
  • Chlorine
  • Choir
  • Chord
  • Choreograph
  • Chrome
  • Echo
  • Ghost
  • Honest
  • Hour
  • Mechanic
  • Monarchy
  • Orchestra
  • Psychic
  • Rhythm
  • Scheme
  • School
  • Stomach
  • Tech
  • Technology
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Whether
  • Which
  • While
  • White
  • Why

Silent I Words

  • Business
  • Parliament

Silent K Words

  • Knack
  • Knead
  • Knee
  • Kneel
  • Knew
  • Knickers
  • Knife
  • Knight
  • Knitting
  • Knob
  • Knock
  • Knot
  • Know
  • Knowledge
  • Knuckle

Silent L Words

  • Almond
  • Balm
  • Calf
  • Calm
  • Chalk
  • Could
  • Folk
  • Half
  • Palm
  • Salmon
  • Should
  • Talk
  • Walk
  • Would
  • Yolk

Silent N Words

  • Autumn
  • Column
  • Damn
  • Hymn

Silent P Words

  • Coup
  • Cupboard
  • Pneumonia
  • Pseudo
  • Psychiatrist
  • Psychic
  • Psychology
  • Psychotherapy
  • Psychotic
  • Raspberry
  • Receipt

Silent S Words

  • Aisle
  • Island
  • Patios

Silent T Words

  • Apostle
  • Bristle
  • Bustle
  • Butcher
  • Castle
  • Fasten
  • Glisten
  • Hustle
  • Listen
  • Match
  • Moisten
  • Mortgage
  • Nestle
  • Often
  • Rustle
  • Scratch
  • Soften
  • Thistle
  • Watch
  • Whistle
  • Witch
  • Wrestle

Silent U Words

  • Baguette
  • Biscuit
  • Building
  • Circuit
  • Disguise
  • Guard
  • Guess
  • Guest
  • Guild
  • Guile
  • Guilt
  • Guitar
  • Rogue
  • Silhouette
  • Tongue
  • Vogue

Silent W Words

  • Answer
  • Awry
  • Playwright
  • Sword
  • Two
  • Whole
  • Wrack
  • Wrap
  • Wrapper
  • Wrath
  • Wreath
  • Wreck
  • Wreckage
  • Wren
  • Wrench
  • Wrestling
  • Wretched
  • Wriggle
  • Wring
  • Wrinkle
  • Wrist
  • Wrong
  • Write