Silent letters in English
Silent letters are letters that are written but not pronounced, such as the k in knee, the b in thumb and the t in castle. They are usually left over from older pronunciations that changed while the spelling stayed put. Most follow patterns worth learning: kn and gn at the start of a word drop the first letter, mb and bt at the end drop the b, and st in listen, castle and whistle drops the t.
Why they exist
Most silent letters were once pronounced. The k in was still said aloud in Middle English and was only lost around the seventeenth century, and the gh in was a throaty sound English has since dropped. The pronunciation moved on; the spelling was frozen by printing. A few, such as the b in , were never pronounced at all — scholars inserted them to show a Latin origin.
kn- at the start — the k is silent
wr- at the start — the w is silent
-mb at the end — the b is silent
-bt together — the b is silent
st- in the middle — the t is silent
gn- at either end — the g is silent
h- after w or at the start — the h is silent
ps- at the start — the p is silent
-pt after a vowel — the p is silent
The ones with no rule
Some words simply have to be learned. These are the ones that most often catch people out in speech, including confident speakers.
Silent in one accent, not another
The r in is silent in most British accents and pronounced in American English. The t in is silent for many speakers and pronounced by others, both accepted. Use Compare to hear these side by side rather than trusting one dictionary entry.
Keep going
Every word above is a button. Set the accent and voice you want on the main screen, then come back — the guides use whatever you chose. To hear two accents against each other, use Compare; to test whether you can actually hear a contrast, use the listening quiz.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15 · Learn Pronounce