Language of the Day: Silent Letters
The use of silent letters can be a confusing part of learning the correct pronunciation and spelling of English words. Let’s look at some common silent letters and learn about why they exist!
Silent letters are letters that are used in the official spelling of a word but are not pronounced. They are a common feature, appearing in thousands of English words. This differentiates English from most other languages which are phonetic such as Korean and Punjabi and also from other languages that use the Latin alphabet, such as Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Here are reasons behind some of the silent letters in English!
the silent “p” in words like psychology have Greek roots which is common of other medical words. Although the “p” is silent, it is pronounced in other Latin languages.
the silent “gh” in words like night and light has it’s origins in Old English when the “gh” sound used to be pronounced.
the silent “L” in words like calm and talk has a different function. The “L” in these words indicates the pronunciation of the vowel sound in the word. For example, the “L” in talk tells us that the vowel sound is “aw” as in top and not “ah” as in tap.
the silent “k” in words like knife and know seems strange to both native English speakers and English-learners! The “k” sound actually was pronounced several hundred years ago, but over time the consonant cluster “kn” was simplified to the single sound of “n.”
the silent “t” in words like listen and fasten come from Middle English. Apparently, Middle English- speakers also didn’t pronounce the “t” sounds when it was between an “s” and and “n” sound. This shows us languages are always changing and it’s natural for us to simplify spoken language over time even though the written form stays the same!
These are some common words with silent letters:
