Interactive phonics lesson — tap any button or word to hear it spoken
A silent letter appears in the spelling of a word but makes no sound when spoken. English has many because it borrows words from Latin, French, Greek, and Germanic languages — each with different pronunciation rules.
Each card below shows a silent letter group.
knee, knife, know
K is silent before N at the start of a word
write, wrap, wrong
W is silent before R at the start of a word
lamb, thumb, debt
B is often silent after M or before T
gnome, sign, gnat
G is silent before N or in -ign and -eign patterns
hour, honest, heir
H is silent in many French-origin words
calm, walk, half
L is silent before M, F, K, and V
psychology, psalm
P is silent before S at the start — Greek origin
night, thought, high
GH is silent after a vowel in many words
Tap any word chip to hear it. Tap Listen to rule to hear the full explanation. The red dotted letter is silent.
From Old English — the K was once actually pronounced.
Also silent in "two," "answer," and "sword."
Words ending in -mb or -bt usually have a silent B.
Common in words borrowed from French and Latin.
Also silent after consonants like R, G, and W.
Common in Old French and Latin-origin words.
Greek-origin words. Also silent in some other borrowings.
Once pronounced like the German "ch" — now completely silent.
Tap any word row to hear it pronounced aloud.
Which letter is silent in this word?