English has many silent letters — letters that you write but don't pronounce. Learning which letter is silent in common words is essential for the phonetics section of the exam.
Silent 'th'
In the word 'months', the 'th' is NOT pronounced clearly — most speakers say /mʌn(t)s/.
- months — /mʌn(t)s/
Silent 'w' (before h or r)
In 'whole', 'whistle', 'wrist', 'write' — the 'w' is silent.
- whole — silent w
- draft — no silent letter
- decade
- limit
Tip — 'There is no silent letter in the word "sword"' is WRONG — actually 'w' is silent in /sɔːrd/. Read the exam options carefully.
Silent 'h'
'hour', 'honest', 'honour' — silent h.
Silent 'b' (after m)
'climb', 'lamb', 'comb', 'thumb' — silent b.
Silent 'k' (before n)
'know', 'knife', 'knock' — silent k.
Silent 'l'
'walk', 'talk', 'half', 'calf', 'could', 'would', 'should' — silent l.
Silent letters in 'exhausted'
In 'exhausted' /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd/, the 'h' is silent.
Vowel patterns in 'underlined' words
Letters (th) NOT sounded → /θ/ or /ð/ (in some words). When (th) is sounded → /θ/.