Mastering Silent Words to Improve Your English from A to Z

Are you preparing for the IELTS exam and want to speak more clearly and confidently? Let’s begin the journey of mastering silent words to improve your English from A to Z! From silent letters in words like knock to honest, this guide will help you tackle tricky spellings and sound patterns in a simple, fun way. As you move from A to Z, you’ll explore silent words that can boost your pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency, perfect for improving your performance in the IELTS Speaking and Writing sections

What are Silent Words? 

Silent letters are letters in words that are not pronounced. These letters are very important while writing and usually make a huge difference. This difference is between the meaning and pronunciation of the word. To understand these words and letters better there are some rules given below. 

Rules for Silent Letters and Words

Silent letters can often confuse learners when it comes to pronunciation. However, learning the rules behind silent letters can make your speaking clearer and help you avoid common mistakes. From everyday words like debt and listen, mastering these rules is especially useful for the IELTS exam. To understand them better, let’s explore some essential rules of Silent Words to Improve Your English from A to Z, along with helpful examples for correct pronunciation:

List of Silent Letters	Rule of Silent Words to Improve Your English	Pronunciation Explanation with Examples
B	B is silent after the letter m at the end of a word.	You do not pronounce the b in words like comb, thumb, and bomb.
	B is silent before the letter t in some words.	In words like doubt, debt, and subtle, the b is not pronounced.
C	C is silent when used in the sc combination.	You don’t pronounce the c in scent, muscle, and fascinate.
	C is silent before the letters k and q.	The c is not pronounced in acquaint, acquittal, and aqua.
D	D is silent before n or g.	You don’t hear the d in Wednesday, grudge, or pledge.
	D is silent in a few everyday words.	In handsome, sandwich, and handkerchief, the d is not pronounced.
E	E is silent at the end of many words.	Words like write, hide, and give end in a silent e.
	E may be silent before d in some past-tense verbs.	In fixed, begged, and smuggled, the e is barely pronounced.
G	G is silent before n in many words.	You don’t pronounce the g in sign, align, and gnash.
	G is pronounced in scientific and exception words.	You do hear the g in magnet, signature, and cognitive.
GH	GH is silent after a vowel in many words.	In light, through, and thought, the gh is not pronounced.
	GH sometimes sounds like f.	In cough, laugh, and tough, gh is pronounced as f.
	GH is pronounced in some compound words.	In ghost-hunter and big-hearted, the gh is heard clearly.
H	H is silent after w in many question words.	In what, where, and when, the h is silent.
	H is not silent in words like who and whose.	The h is heard clearly in who, whoever, and whole.
	H is silent at the beginning of some words.	The h is silent in honest, hour, and heir (use an).
	H is usually pronounced in most words.	In happy, history, and hat, the h is clearly heard (use a).
K	K is silent before n at the beginning of words.	You don’t pronounce the k in know, knife, or knight.
L	L is silent after vowels a, o, and u.	In words like calf, palm, and should, the l is not pronounced.
N	N is silent after m at the end of a word.	You won’t hear the n in damn, solemn, and autumn.
P	P is silent at the start of words with ps, pt, or pn.	You don’t pronounce the p in psalm, pneumonia, or pterodactyl.
PH	PH is pronounced like f in many words.	In phone, elephant, and paragraph, ph sounds like f.
S	S is silent before l in some words.	You don’t hear the s in isle, island, and aisle.
T	T is silent in many common English words.	The t is not pronounced in castle, listen, and Christmas.
U	U is silent after g and before a vowel.	In guide, guest, and guard, the u is silent.
W	W is silent before r at the start of words.	The w is not pronounced in write, wrap, or wrist.
	W is also silent in a few other common words.	You don’t hear the w in who, sword, two, or answer.

List of Silent Letters and Words

In this section, we explore the List of Silent Letters and Words that often challenge English learners. Mastering these silent letters will enhance your pronunciation and listening skills, helping you communicate more confidently and improve your performance in exams like IELTS.

Silent Alphabet ‘B’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation:  The letter B is often silent when it comes after M (as in climb, thumb, lamb) or before the letter T.

Climb	Limber	Climbable
Comb	Amber	Bombard (B pronounced)
Crumb	Crumble	Lambaste (silent B in lamb)
Debt	Humbled	Debtor
Doubt	Tumbler	Doubtful
Lamb	Climbable	Numbing
Thumb	Bombard	Tombstone
Tomb	Lambaste	Bombastic
Bomb	Debtor	Climbing
Numb	Doubtful	Combing
Plumber	Numbing	Crumbing
Subtle	Tombstone	Debtless
Dumb	Bombastic	Doubter
Jamb	Climbing	Lambkin
Succumb	Combing	Thumbtack
Womb	Crumbing	Tombless
Thimble	Debtless	Bomber (B pronounced)
Limber	Doubter	Number
Amber	Lambkin	Plumb
Crumble	Thumbtack	Subpoena (silent B in sub)
Humbled	Tombless	Thumbscrew
Tumbler	Bomber (B pronounced)	Clamber
Climbable	Number	Jumble
Bombard (B pronounced)	Plumb	Mumble
Lambaste (silent B)	Subpoena (silent B)	Stumble
Debtor	Thumbscrew	Tumble
Doubtful	Clamber	Wombat
Numbing	Jumble	Limbo

• Words that Start with A: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 2-Letter, 3-Letter
• Words that Start with B: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 2-Letter, 3-Letter

Silent Alphabet ‘C’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter C is often silent when it appears before K, Q, S, or T.

Muscle	Scenario	Subpoena
Scissors	Conscience	Transcend
Ascend	Obscene	Abscission
Fascinate	Discipline	Adolescent
Acquire	Fascia	Convalesce
Acquiesce	Ascetic	Effervesce
Acquaint	Luminescent	Excrescence
Indict	Corpuscle	Innuendo
Victual	Crescendo	Lascivious
Czar	Eviscerate	Oscillate
Scene	Miscellaneous	Piscine
Science	Rescind	Resuscitate
Scent	Sclerotic	Scintillate
Crescent	Subpoena	Susceptible
Disciple	Transcend	Viscous
Fluorescent	Abscission	Auscultation
Resuscitate	Adolescent	Cistern
Scenario	Convalesce	Discern
Conscience	Effervesce	Fascicle
Obscene	Excrescence	Muscular

List of 100+ Words that Start with C: Noun, Verb, Adjective, 3-Letter, 4-Letter

Silent Alphabet ‘D’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter D is often silent when it comes before the letters N or G, or in some commonly used words.

Handkerchief	Cartridge	Adjudge
Sandwich	Fledgling	Bludgeon
Wednesday	Hedgehog	Curmudgeon
Pledge	Impinge	Dredge
Grudge	Pledgee	Entourage
Badge	Sledgehammer	Grudger
Edge	Wedlock	Homage
Bridge	Abridge	Midge
Knowledge	Acknowledge	Porridge
Cadge	Dislodge	Sedge
Fudge	Foreknowledge	Tridge
Hedge	Grudging	Unpledged
Judge	Lodging	Widgeon
Nudge	Misjudge	Whodunit
Ridge	Podge
Smudge	Sludge
Trudge	Unhinge
Gadget	Grudge
Partridge

200+ Words that Start with D: Noun, Verb, Adjective, 3-Letter, 4-Letter

Silent Alphabet ‘E’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter E is usually silent when it appears at the end of a word. It often changes the vowel sound before it, making it long

Give	Debate	Quiet
Hide	Hope	Raise
Table	Drive	Sense
Write	Rose	Shine
Love	Scene	Smile
Breathe	Theme	Spine
Name	These	Store
Time	Those	Taste
Like	Whose	Voice
Make	Prize	Waste
Have	Blame	Wrote
Live (verb)	Flame	Zone
Come	Grace
Some	Huge
Gone	Judge
Done	Knife
Blue	Large
True	Mice
	Nice
	Page

Words that Start with E: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 2-Letter, 3-Letter

Silent Alphabet ‘G’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation:  The letter G is often silent when it appears before the letter N in a word (especially at the beginning or middle)

Align	Ensign	Apophthegm
Design	Feint	Phthalate
Foreign	Malign	Assignor
Gnash	Sovereign	Cosign
Sign	Resign	Paradigm
Gnome	Impugn	Vignette
Gnat	Oppugn	Tagine
Gnarl	Prosign	Syntagma
Reign	Pugnacious	Wraith
Feign	Recognizance	Weigh
Assign	Reignite	Poignant
Campaign	Signet	Phlegm
Champagne	Benign	Lasagna
Cologne	Chignon	Diaphragm
Consign	Cognac	Gnostic
Deign	Haphazard

• Words that Start with F: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 2-Letter, 3-Letter
• List of 200+ Words that start with G: Noun, Verb, Adjectives

Silent Alphabet ‘H’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter H is often silent in certain positions:

• At the beginning of words of French origin, like honest or hour.
• After W in question words like what, why, where, where WH is pronounced as /w/.
• In some Greek-origin words, such as rhetoric or rhythm, where H is part of a silent letter pair like RH.

Row 1	Row 2	Row 3
Hour	Where	Shepard
Honest	Who	Choir
Heir	Whom	Anchor
What	Whole	Architect
When	Whose	Chaos
Why	Ghost	Character
Whether	Ghastly	Chlorine
Whistle	Ghetto	Echo
Where	Vehicle	School
Who	Herb	Scheme
Whom	Rhyme	Stomach
Whole	Rhythm	Tech
Whose	Thai	Thyme
Ghost	Thames	White
Ghastly	Thomas	Wrath
Ghetto	Anthony	Wreath
Vehicle	Exhaust	Wrench
Herb	Exhibition	Wrestle
Rhyme	Shepard	Wriggle
Rhythm	Choir	Wrist
Thai	Anchor	Wrong
Thames	Architect	Wrote
Thomas	Chaos	Wrought

• List of 150+ Words that Start with H: Noun, Verb, Adjective
• Words That Start with I: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 2-Letter, 3-Letter
• Words that Start with J: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 2-Letter, 3-Letter

Silent Alphabet ‘K’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter K is always silent when it comes before N at the beginning of a word.

Knife	Knob	Knell
Knight	Knit	Knickers
Knock	Knuckle	Knoll
Know	Known	Knot
Kneel	Knack	Knothole
Knowledge	Knapsack	Knurl
Knob	Knave	Knurled
Knit	Knead	Knish
Knuckle	Knee	Knobble
Known	Knell	Knobbly
Knack	Knickers	Knockout
Knapsack	Knoll	Knurly
Knave	Knot	Knackered
Knead	Knothole	Kneecap
Knee	Knurl	Kneepad
Knell	Knurled	Knifepoint
Knickers	Knish	Knightly
Knoll	Knobble	Knobbiness
Knot	Knobbly	Knobkerrie
Knothole	Knockout	Knobstick
Knurl	Knurly	Knothorn
Knurled	Knackered	Knuckleduster
Knish	Kneecap	Knuckly
Knobble	Kneepad	Knur
Knobbly	Knifepoint	Knurr
Knockout	Knightly	Knurly
Knurly	Knobbiness	Knosp
Knackered	Knobkerrie	Knout
Kneecap	Knobstick	Knurling
Kneepad	Knothorn	Knucklehead
Knifepoint	Knuckleduster	Knurly

Silent Alphabet ‘L’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter L is often silent when it appears after the vowels A, O, or U in a word.

Calf	Almond	Talkative
Half	Balm	Walkway
Palm	Calm	Yolkless
Should	Chalkboard	Alderney
Would	Falk	Balderdash
Folk	Halm	Bulb
Yolk	Holk	Could
Talk	Mallet	Folkloric
Walk	Palmistry	Halfway
Chalk	Psalter	Lincoln
Almond	Salmon	Mallet
Balm	Shalm	Palmful
Calm	Stalk	Qualm
Falk	Talkative	Solder
Halm	Walkway	Tallow
Holk	Yolkless	Walkathon
Mallet	Alderney	Wouldst
Palmistry	Balderdash	Almondine
Psalter	Bulb	Behalf
Salmon	Could	Calk
Shalm	Folkloric	Dhal
Stalk	Halfway	Falkland
Talkative	Lincoln	Halmless
Walkway	Mallet	Lincolnshire
Yolkless	Palmful	Palmprint
Alderney	Qualm	Shall
Balderdash	Solder	Yolky

• 250+ Words that Start with L in English
• Words that Start with M: 3-Letter, 4-Letter, Everyday Words, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives

Silent Alphabet ‘N’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter L is often silent when it appears after the vowels A, O, or U in a word.

Autumn	Damn	Resignation
Column	Hymn	Alignment
Damn	Solemn	Designer
Hymn	Condemn	Gnarly
Solemn	Resign	Gneiss
Condemn	Align	Gnocchi
Resign	Design	Gnomon
Align	Gnaw	Gnosis
Design	Gnarl	Gnu
Gnaw	Gnash	Mneme
Gnarl	Gnome	Mnemosyne
Gnash	Gnat	Pneumatic
Gnome	Gnostic	Pneumonia
Gnat	Mnemonic	Pterodactyl
Gnostic	Damnation	Campaign
Mnemonic	Hymnal	Foreign
Damnation	Solemnity	Reign
Hymnal	Condemnation	Sovereign
Solemnity	Resignation	Feign
Condemnation	Alignment	Malign
Resignation	Designer	Sign
Alignment	Gnarly	Assign
Designer	Gneiss	Consign
Gnarly	Gnocchi	Ensign
Gneiss	Gnomon	Impugn
Gnocchi	Gnosis	Oppugn
Gnomon	Gnu	Prosign
Gnosis	Mneme	Recognizance
Gnu	Mnemosyne	Signet
Mneme	Pneumatic	Benign

Words that Start with N: Easy and Difficult Words, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives

Silent Alphabet ‘P’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter P is often silent when it appears before the letters S, T, or N in a word.

Pneumonia	Psyche	Psychotropic
Psalm	Psychiatrist	Psaltery
Pseudonym	Psychotherapy	Pseudocarp
Psychic	Ptomaine	Pseudomorph
Pterodactyl	Pteridophyte	Pseudonymity
Ptolemy	Pteranodon	Pseudopod
Psychology	Pteropod	Psittacosis
Pneumatic	Pterygium	Pteridology
Psychosis	Ptilosis	Pteryla
Psoriasis	Ptisan	Psychokinesis
Pterosaur	Ptolemies	Psychometric
Ptarmigan	Psychopharmacology	Coup
Ptochocracy	Psychosomatic	Corps
Ptosis	Pseudoscience	Raspberry
Receipt	Pseudepigrapha	Cupboard
Pseudoscience	Pseudonymity	Copter
Pneumocystis	Psychotropic	Pseudopod
Pylon (soft P)	Psychokinesis	Psychometric
Pygmy (soft P)	Psychopharmacology	Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Silent ‘PH’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letters PH are usually pronounced as the /f/ sound (like in phone or photo). However, in rare cases, the PH sound may be softened or less distinct depending on accents or specific words.

Elephant	Morphine	Ophthalmology
Graph	Orphan	Prophet
Paragraph	Prophecy	Pseudepigrapha
Phone	Sapphire	Seraph
Photograph	Sphere	Strophe
Phantom	Symphony	Telegraph
Pharmacy	Typhoon	Triumph
Philosophy	Trophy	Typhoid
Physics	Typhus	Typography
Phase	Xerography	Zephyr
Alphabet	Amphibian	Phyllo
Apostrophe	Chlorophyll	Phlegm
Biography	Diphtheria
Catastrophe	Ephemeral
Dolphin	Euphoria
Emphasis	Hieroglyph
Epiphany	Glyph
Holograph	Lymph
Metaphor	Nymph

• List of 250+ Words that Start with P
• Words That Start with Q: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, 3-Letter, 4-Letter Words
• 300+ Words that Start with R: Noun, Adjective, Phrasal Verb

Silent Alphabet ‘S’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter S is silent mainly in French loanwords (like debris and corps), before the letter L (as in isle), and sometimes in certain dialects

Aisle	Apostle	Wrestle
Island	Bustler	Thistledown
Isle	Gristle	Viscountess
Islet	Hustler	Glisten
Viscount	Mistral	Listen
Resign	Pistol	Castle
Design	Trestle	Fasten
Cosign	Nestle	Often
Glisten	Rustle	Whistle
Listen	Thistle	Soften
Castle	Bustle	Gourmet
Fasten	Jostle	Ballet
Often	Bristle	Debris
Whistle	Epistle	Rendezvous
Thistle	Hustle	Corps
Bustle	Sioux	Illinois
Soften	Fracas	Arkansas
Gourmet	Patios	Grosbeak
Ballet	Hors d’oeuvre	Visconti
Debris	Laissez-faire	Apostles (plural)

List of 200+ Words that Start with S

Silent Alphabet ‘T’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter T is often silent when it appears after S (as in castle), in many French loanwords (such as ballet), and sometimes in certain dialects

Castle	Glisten	Stitch
Fasten	Hustle	Twitch
Listen	Jostle	Witchcraft
Often	Mortgage	Kitchenette
Whistle	Nestle	Mustache
Thistle	Pistol	Bristle
Bustle	Rustle	Epistle
Soften	Scratch	Gristle
Gourmet	Watch	Hustler
Ballet	Wrestle	Jostler
Apostle	Witch	Nestler
Bristle	Kitchen	Rustler
Butcher	Match	Wrestler
Christmas	Patch
Depot	Sketch
Glisten	Switch
Hustle	Hatchet
Jostle	Latchet
Mortgage	Ratchet
Nestle	Satchel

List of 500+ Words that Start with T

Silent Alphabet ‘U’ Words

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter U is usually silent when it comes after G (as in guide or guitar) or appears in certain French loanwords.

Guano	Guilder	Guitarist
Guard	Guile	Gulf
Guest	Guilt	Gunwale
Guide	Guinea	Guy
Guitar	Guise	Guzzle
Guess	Baggage	Rogue
Guild	Biscuit	Vogue
Guise	Build	Argue
Guarded	Circuit	Catalogue
Guidance	Disguise	Dialogue
Guilder	Fugue	League
Guile	Guildhall	Plague
Guilt	Guileless	Tongue
Guinea	Guiltless	Opaque
Guise	Guacamole	Opaqueness
Baggage	Guarantee	Unique
Biscuit	Guardhouse	Ubiquity
Build	Guerilla	Ubiquitous
Circuit	Guildship	Ubiquity
Disguise	Guiltily	Ubiquitously

• Words that Start with X: Difficult, Longest, Daily Use Words
• List of 200+ Words that Start with Y: Easy, Difficult, Longest

Silent Alphabet ‘W’ Words 

Rule of Pronunciation: The letter W is silent when it appears before the letter R (as in write or wrist) and in some common English words starting with wr- or wh- where the W is not pronounced.

Answer	Wrath	Wrinkle
Sword	Wreak	Wristband
Two	Wreath	Writ
Who	Wreckage	Write
Whole	Wren	Wrong
Whom	Wrench	Wrought
Wreck	Wrest	Wry
Wrist	Wriggle	Wrack
Wrestle	Wring	Wraith
Wrote	Wristlet	Wrangle
Awry	Wrapper	Wrasse
Playwright	Wreaker	Wrecked
Wrangle	Wrecker	Wren
Wrap	Wrested	Wriggled
Wrath	Wringer	Wrinkle
Wreak	Wristlet	Writer
Wreath	Wrongful	Wroth
Wreckage	Wryly	Wryneck
Wren	Wurst	(some accents drop W)
Wrench	Wrecker	Wrack

List of 200+ Words that Start with Z

Mastering Silent Words to Improve Your English from A to Z is essential for clear pronunciation and effective communication. Understanding these silent letters boosts your confidence in speaking and listening, making your English sound more natural and helping you excel in exams like IELTS.

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