Difficult Words with Silent Letters! Below is the list of words with silent letters, some in the middle, some at beginning and some of them at end. Learn these useful silent letter words with Power ESL infographics and PDF.
Silent Letter words
Silent letter words are words that contain letters that are not pronounced when the word is spoken. These silent letters can appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. Despite being written, they do not correspond to any sound in the word’s pronunciation.
Silent letters can often be traced back to the word’s etymological origins, where they may have once been pronounced or may have been added to reflect an origin in another language. Silent letters can make spelling and pronunciation more challenging, especially for language learners, as they do not follow the typical phonetic rules of the language.
Examples of silent letter words include “knife” (where the “k” is silent), “write” (where the “w” is silent), and “bomb” (where the “b” is silent). Here are the 20 most common words having silent letters:
- Anchor
- Edge
- Psychic
- Knee
- Kneel
- Chaos
- Crumb
- Psychology
- Coulomb
- Knew
- Archaeology
- Psychiatrist
- Bomb
- Architect
- Badge
- Debt
- Character
- Knead
- Handkerchief
- Pseudo
Words Having Silent Letter B
In this section, you’ll learn about words where the letter B is not pronounced. This silent B can be surprising, but knowing these words will help you speak more naturally.
| aplomb | bomb | climb |
| comb | coulomb | crumb |
| debt | doubt | dumb |
| jamb | lamb | limb |
| numb | plumber | subtle |
| succumb | thumb | tomb |
| womb |
Words Having Silent Letter H
Here, we focus on words that contain an H that you don’t hear when spoken. Understanding these words will help you grasp the subtle nuances of English pronunciation.
| 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 | what |
| when | where | whether |
| which | while | white |
| why |
Words with Silent Letter K
This part introduces words with a K that remains silent. Mastering these words will aid in refining your pronunciation skills and expanding your vocabulary.
| knack | knead | knee |
| kneel | knew | knickers |
| knife | knight | knitting |
| knob | knock | knot |
| know | knowledge | knuckle |
Words Having Silent Letter T
In this segment, you’ll discover words with a silent T. These words can be tricky, but recognizing them will enhance your speaking and listening abilities.
| ballet | buffet | caste |
| chaste | christmas | fasten |
| gourmet | hatchet | listen |
| moisten | mortgage | mustache |
| often | soften | thistleton |
| whistle | wrestle |
Words Having Silent Letter W
This section is dedicated to words that include a W that you don’t pronounce. Learning these words is key to improving your pronunciation and understanding of English.
| answer | awry | playwright |
| sword | towards | two |
| whole | wrack | wrangle |
| wrap | wrapper | wrath |
| wreath | wreck | wreckage |
| wren | wrench | wrestle |
| wrestling | wretched | wriggle |
| wring | wrinkle | wrist |
| write | wrong | wrote |
Words Having Silent Letter I
This part introduces words with i remains silent. Mastering these words will aid in refining your pronunciation skills and expanding your vocabulary.
| business | parliament | subsidiary |
| junior | senior | variety |
| glacier | species | conscience |
| conscious |
Words with Silent Letter L
In this part, you’ll find words with an L that is not pronounced. Getting to know these words will make your English sound more fluent and accurate.
| almond | balm | calf |
| calm | chalk | could |
| folk | half | palm |
| salmon | should | talk |
| walk | would | yolk |
Words Having Silent Letter G
This section highlights words with a G that remains unheard. These words are essential for polishing your pronunciation and expanding your word bank.
| align | assign | benign |
| campaign | champagne | cologne |
| consign | design | feign |
| foreign | reign | resign |
| sign |
Words With Silent Letters GH
Here, we cover words containing GH that is silent. These words are crucial for mastering pronunciation and enhancing your understanding of English spelling conventions.
| though | thought | night |
| high | light | weight |
| right | might | sigh |
| tight | bright | flight |
| slght | straight | enough |
| cough | rough | tough |
| daughter | laugh | through |
| brought | caught | frought |
| draught |
Words Having Silent Letter P
In this segment, we focus on words where the P is silent. Familiarizing yourself with these words will aid in refining your pronunciation and comprehension.
| coup | cupboard | pneumonia |
| pseudo | psychiatrist | psychic |
| psychology | psychotherapy | psychotic |
| raspberry | receipt |
Words with Silent Letter N
This section introduces words with an N that you don’t pronounce. Recognizing these words will help in improving both your speaking and listening skills.
| autumn | column | condemn |
| damn | hymn | solemn |
| government |
Words Having Silent Letter D
Here, you’ll learn about words that include a D that remains silent. These words are important for speaking English more naturally and accurately.
| badge | edge | handkerchief |
| handsome | hedge | sandwich |
| wedge | wednesday |
Words Having Silent Letter C
In this part, we explore words with a silent C. Knowing these words is key to mastering certain pronunciation challenges in English.
| ascend | ascent | conscience |
| conscious | crescent | descend |
| disciple | fascinate | muscle |
| obscene | scene | scent |
| science | scissors | abscess |
| evanesce | fluorescent | resuscitate |
| scenario | transcend |
Words Having Silent Letter A
This section is dedicated to words where the A is not pronounced. Understanding these words will enhance your pronunciation and listening abilities.
| artistically | logically | musically |
| physically | critically | practically |
| stoically |
Words Having Silent Letter S
Here, we look at words with a silent S. Learning these words will help you navigate some of the complexities of English pronunciation.
- aisle
- island
- patios
Words with Silent Letter E
In this segment, you’ll find words with a silent E. These words are essential for grasping the subtleties of English pronunciation and spelling.
| age | breathe | bridge |
| change | clothes | gene |
| hate | like | love |
| please | vegetable |
Words Having Silent Letter U
This part introduces words with a U that remains unheard. Mastering these words is crucial for improving your pronunciation and expanding your vocabulary.Top of Form
| biscuit | build | circuit |
| disguise | guilty | league |
| rogue | vague | guess |
| guest | guide | guitar |
| antique | baguette | building |
| guard | guild | guile |
| guilt | tongue | vogue |
| silhouette |
Also Study: List of Confusing Words in English
Difficult Words with Silent Letters
Here we will explore some of the most challenging words that have silent letters in them. These words are tricky because they don’t sound the way they are spelled. By learning them, you can greatly improve your English vocabulary and pronunciation. Here are all the useful and most difficult words having silent letters:
- Acquire – c
- Adjacent – d
- Adjudge – d
- Adjust – d
- Adjutant – d
- Aisle – s
- Alms – a
- Answer – w
- Apropos – s
- Articulate – r
- Artistically – a
- Asthma – t
- Autumn – n
- Ballet – t
- Balm – l
- Benign – g
- Bomb – b
- Bourgeois – s
- Breathe – e
- Bridge – d
- Business – i
- Calf – l
- Calm – l
- Castle – t
- Champagne – g
- Climb – b
- Colleague – u
- Column – n
- Comb – b
- Condemn – n
- Corps – p
- Coup – p
- Crumbs – b
- Damn – n
- Debris – s
- Debt – b
- Depart – r
- Design – g
- Doubt – b
- Dumb – b
- Edge – d
- Fasten – t
- Feign – g
- Ghost – h
- Gnash – g
- Gnat – n
- Gnaw – g
- Gourmet – t
- Guard – u
- Guess – u
- Guide – u
- Guilt – g
- Guitar – u
- Half – l
- Handsome – d
- Hasten – t
- Hate – e
- Heir – h
- High – g
- Honest – h
- Hour – h
- Hymn – n
- Island – s
- Knee – k
- Knife – k
- Knight – k
- Knock – k
- Knot – k
- Know – k
- Knowledge – k
- Lamb – b
- Light – g
- Like – e
- Listen – t
- Logically – a
- Mnemonic – m
- Muscle – c
- Musically – a
- Name – e
- Numb – b
- Obscene – c
- Palm – l
- Park – r
- Part – r
- Party – r
- Pneumonia – p
- Psalm – l
- Pseudo – p
- Psychiatry – p
- Psychology – p
- Rapport – t
- Receipt – p
- Reign – g
- Resign – g
- Resignation – g
- Ricochet – t
- Romantically – a
- Salmon – l
- Sandwich – d
- Scene – c
- Scent – c
- Schism – c
- Science – c
- Scissors – c
- Should – l
- Sign – g
- Signature – g
- Soften – t
- Solemn – n
- Subtle – b
- Sword – w
- Talk – l
- Through – g
- Thumb – b
- Tomb – b
- Tongue – u
- Two – w
- Wednesday – d
- What – h
- Whether – h
- Who – w
- Whole – w
- Would – l
- Wright – w
- Wrist – w
- Write – w
- Wrong – w
- Yolk – l
Infographics of Words That Contain Silent Letters
Download this list of difficult words with silent letters in PDF