Silent letters are one of the trickier things in English Pronunciation. Like so much else with English phonetics, it is not easy to figure out by looking at the word.
Nonetheless, there are some patterns:
The Silent B:
In words that end in MB, the B is usually silent.
comb, climb, plumber, tomb, dumb, bomb, numb, thumb, womb
If MB is in the middle of a word, the B is usually pronounced.
stumble, bumble, tumble
BT is another common silent B pattern.
debt, subtle, doubt
The Silent K
In words with KN, the K is always silent.
know, knot, knee, knife, knight, knock, knack, knapsack, knickers, knuckle
The Silent P
In words with PS, the P is always silent.
Psychology, psychiatry, psyche, psychological, psychotic or pseudo
In words with PN, the P is always silent.
pneumonia, pneumat, pneuma
The Silent C
In words with CS, the C is silent.
Muscle, miscellaneous, scene, ascend, ascent, descent, fascinate, fluorescent, incandescent, obscene, scene, scenario, scented
The Silent G
In words with GN, the G is usually silent.
gnarl, gnome, gnaw, gnat, gnash, gnostic
Exceptions: when the G and N are in a different syllable:
stagnate, smugness, pregnant, signal, magnet, cognition, eggnog, hangnail, recognize
In words with GH words, the H is silent and the G is pronounced.
ghastly, ghoul, ghetto, ghee, ghetto, spaghetti
GH can be pronounced as a /f/ at the end or in the middle of a word.
laugh, tough, enough, cough, laughter
GH can also be silent.
alight, light, high
The Silent L
There is no good rule here, you just have to memorize these.
folk, salmon, talk, walk, could, should, would, half, calf, chalk
The Silent S
S is usually pronounced, but there are a few words where it is silent.
aisle, island, isle, islander, islet, debris, apropos, bourgeois, faux pas, rendezvous
The Silent H
H is silent at the beginning of some French words,
heir, honest, honor, honorable, hour, herb (American English)
The Silent N
In words with MN, the N is silent.
hymn, damn, solemn, condemn, column, autumn
Exception: when MN are in different syllables, they are both pronounced.
alumni, gymnast, warmness, slimness, insomnia, omnivore
The Silent T
If ST is in the middle of the word, the T is usually silent:
listen, whistle, hustle, jostle, apostle, bristle, thistle or wrestle
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN
Practice Reading:
Knox, the plumber, climbed out of his car on Thistle Lane, grabbed his knapsack with his tools and hustled up the walk to the brick house. It was dark at this late hour and the light was on as he knocked on the door. The damn owner took forever to answer the door and Knox was cursing softly to himself. They should be answering the door immediately, it was so late! When the door finally opened, he could see the owner in the dim light. She was coughing and ghastly pale and Knox immediately felt ashamed of his impatience. Miscellaneous debris was piled high through the house and Knox weaved his way through the towering aisles. What a mess. Plopping his knapsack down in the kitchen, he wrestled out his tools and got to work.
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