Silent Letters | English Pronunciation & Vocabulary | PART 1

Summary

This video dives into the tricky world of silent letters in English, helping learners understand when to pronounce certain letters and when to skip them. The presenter explains simple rules for silent letters like A, B, C, D, E, and more, offering practical examples for each. Viewers can follow along with subtitles, and there's a focus on making pronunciation easier by breaking down words step-by-step. Part one covers half of the alphabet, with a link provided to continue learning in part two. Viewers are encouraged to engage on Facebook for further discussion.

Takeaways

• 😀 Silent letters are common in English, appearing in about 60% of words.
• 🅰️ The letter A is often silent in words that end in '-ally'.
• 🅱️ The letter B is silent when it follows M, and often silent before T.
• 🅲 The letter C is usually silent after the letter S.
• 🅳 The letter D is silent in certain words like 'sandwich' and quiet when followed by G.
• 🅴 The letter E is silent at the end of words but can change the vowel sound before it.
• 🅶 The letter G can be silent in words like 'sign', 'champagne', and 'design'.
• 🅷 The letter H is often silent when following W or at the start of certain words like 'hour'.
• 🅺 The letter K is silent when it comes before N, such as in 'knight' or 'know'.
• 🅻 The letter L can be silent in words where it's hard to pronounce, like 'half' and 'calm'.

Q & A

Why are silent letters in English words considered frustrating?

Silent letters are frustrating because they are present in about 60% of English words, making pronunciation tricky and inconsistent.

When is the letter 'A' silent?

The letter 'A' is often silent in words ending with '-ally', such as in 'basically' or 'logically'.

What is the rule for the silent 'B' after the letter 'M'?

The letter 'B' is always silent when it follows the letter 'M', as in words like 'lamb', 'comb', or 'bomb'.

Can the letter 'B' be silent before another letter?

Yes, the letter 'B' is often silent when it appears before the letter 'T', as in 'debt' or 'doubt'.

What is a common rule for the silent 'C' in English?

The letter 'C' is often silent when it follows the letter 'S', as seen in words like 'science', 'scissors', and 'muscle'.

When is the letter 'D' silent in English?

The letter 'D' can be silent in words like 'sandwich', where only the 'N' sound is pronounced. It can also be very quiet in front of a 'G', as in 'bridge' or 'edge'.

How does a silent 'E' affect the pronunciation of words?

Although the 'E' is silent at the end of many words, it affects the pronunciation of the vowel before it, making the vowel sound longer. For example, 'hid' becomes 'hide'.

What is the rule for silent 'G' in words?

The letter 'G' is silent in words like 'sign', 'champagne', 'design', and 'foreign'. The combination 'GH' is also silent after a vowel sound, as in 'night' or 'though'.

When is the letter 'H' silent in English?

The letter 'H' is silent after a 'W', as in 'whale' or 'what'. It can also be silent at the beginning of words like 'honest' or 'hour', or when following the letters 'C', 'G', or 'R'.

Why is the letter 'K' silent before 'N'?

In English, the letter 'K' is always silent when it comes before the letter 'N', as in 'knife', 'knock', and 'know'.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Why Are Silent Letters So Common in English?

The speaker expresses frustration with silent letters in English, questioning their purpose. They explain that about 60% of English words contain silent letters, which makes pronunciation tricky. While these letters can be silent, they aren't always, and understanding basic rules is essential to pronouncing them correctly. The speaker introduces rules for silent letters like 'A' in words ending with '-ally', and 'B' when it follows 'M' or precedes 'T'. Silent letters can complicate speech, but mastering these rules will improve pronunciation.

05:10

📜 Exploring Silent E, G, and H Letters

This paragraph focuses on how silent letters E, G, and H behave in different situations. The letter E is often silent at the end of words but can still influence the preceding vowel sound, making it longer. Examples show how silent E shapes pronunciation. G can also be silent in words like 'sign', while the combination GH can be silent after a vowel. The letter H is frequently silent, especially after W or at the beginning of words like 'honest'. Additionally, CH is mostly pronounced as 'ch', though there are exceptions where the H is silent.

10:10

🔤 Silent K, L, and a Wrap-Up for Part 1

The speaker highlights silent K and L in English. The letter K is silent before N, while L is often silent in challenging-to-pronounce words, making them easier to say. The speaker acknowledges that even native speakers find these words tricky and encourages embracing the silence of L in such cases. The video concludes by urging viewers to continue practicing silent letters by watching part 2 and interacting with the speaker on social media, especially Facebook. The speaker expresses enjoyment in making these educational videos and invites more engagement from viewers.

Keywords

💡Silent Letters

Silent letters are letters in a word that are not pronounced when the word is spoken. The video focuses on how silent letters appear in English words and how they can affect pronunciation. The speaker gives several examples, such as 'sign' (silent G) and 'knife' (silent K), to explain when and why certain letters are silent.

💡Pronunciation Rules

The video emphasizes specific rules that help learners pronounce English words with silent letters correctly. For instance, the rule that the letter 'B' is silent when it follows 'M' (e.g., 'comb') is a key rule discussed. These rules are meant to simplify English pronunciation for learners.

💡Letter A

In the video, the letter 'A' can be silent, especially in words that end with '-ally.' For example, in 'basically,' the 'A' is not pronounced. This rule is explained to show how vowel sounds are sometimes omitted in English pronunciation.

💡Silent B

The letter 'B' is often silent when it follows 'M' or precedes 'T' as in words like 'lamb' or 'subtle.' The video highlights this silent B rule to illustrate how English pronunciation can omit certain consonants, making pronunciation tricky for learners.

💡Silent C

The letter 'C' can be silent when it follows 'S,' as in the words 'scene' or 'muscle.' The speaker explains this concept to demonstrate how certain consonant combinations result in silent letters in English, particularly the letter C.

💡Silent D

The letter 'D' is sometimes silent, especially in words like 'sandwich' or 'handkerchief,' where it follows 'N.' The speaker also discusses how 'D' can combine with 'G' to form the 'dg' sound, as in 'judge,' though this is not a silent letter but a reduced sound.

💡Silent E

Silent 'E' at the end of words can affect the pronunciation of the preceding vowel. In words like 'hide,' the 'E' lengthens the 'I' sound, though the 'E' itself is not pronounced. The video uses this example to explain how silent letters can still influence the sound of a word.

💡Silent G

The letter 'G' is silent in words like 'sign,' 'design,' or 'foreign.' The video explains how silent G often appears in words with certain combinations (like 'gn' or 'gh') and teaches learners to recognize this pattern in English.

💡Silent H

The letter 'H' is silent when it follows certain letters such as 'W' (as in 'what' or 'when') or when it's at the start of words like 'honest.' The video emphasizes these examples to show how the silent 'H' can appear in many common English words.

💡Silent K

The letter 'K' is silent when it appears before 'N,' as in 'knife' or 'knock.' This rule is a common example in the video to teach how English spelling can be misleading when silent letters like 'K' are involved in word pronunciation.

Highlights

Introduction to the frustration with silent letters in English and their prevalence in around 60% of words.

The letter A is often silent in words that end in '-ally'.

Rule: The letter B is silent when it follows the letter M, as in 'lamb' and 'comb'.

The letter B is also often silent before the consonant T, like in 'debt' and 'doubt'.

Silent C appears after the letter S, in words like 'muscle' and 'scissors'.

The letter D can be silent in words like 'sandwich', where the consonant N takes prominence.

In combinations like 'DG', the D and G blend to form a 'dg' sound, as in 'edge' and 'judge'.

Silent E at the end of a word changes the vowel sound before it, as in 'hid' versus 'hide'.

E can also be silent in past tense regular verbs, where it's not pronounced, as in 'jumped' and 'talked'.

The letter G can be silent, especially in words like 'sign', 'design', and 'foreign'.

GH can be silent when it comes after a vowel, as in 'light', 'sight', and 'through'.

The letter H is often silent following a W, such as in 'what', 'where', and 'why'.

H can also be silent at the start of a word like 'honest' and 'hour'.

K is silent when it comes before an N, in words like 'knight', 'knife', and 'knee'.

The letter L is silent in tricky words like 'calf', 'half', and 'yolk'.

Transcripts

Oh my gosh guys! How annoying are silent

letters in English words? What are they

even doing there?!

This video is all about English words

with silent letters in them. When do you

pronounce those letters and when don't

you pronounce those letters? I'm going to

teach you a few simple rules to help you

pronounce English words correctly.

Don't forget to turn on the subtitles

either. The button is just down there, so

you can follow along. There are a lot of

English words that have silent letters

in them. And there are lots of silent

letters in English! About sixty percent

of all English words have a silent

letter! No wonder pronunciation is so

frustrating, right? And they can be silent

these letters, but they're not always

silent! So you have to be careful!

You need to know a few basic rules to

help with the pronunciation of silent

letters in English words.

Okay, let's start at the top with the

letter A. Now the letter A can be silent

especially in words that end in '-ally'.

Like these:

So, I'm not pronouncing:

Cut the A out. Get rid of it!

Now there's a rule

to remember with the letter B. It's

always silent when it follows the letter M

So, practice them with me. I'm not

pronouncing the B, I'm just pronouncing

the M consonant sound.

And the letter B is

often silent when it before the

consonant T, so think of these examples:

So, see in all of

those examples, my lips are closing and

coming together to form the B sound,

I'm just pronouncing the T.

Now, the letter C can cause a

few problems because it's often silent

after the letter S, like in

these very common examples - they are quite tricky!

So that's the silent C.

So what about the letter D? Yep, it can be

silent too!

So, I'm not pronouncing the D in 'sandwich'

I'm just pronouncing the consonant N

sound before it. Try it with me one more time.

And a D can be very quiet, not quite silent, but

very quiet in front of a G, like in these

examples:

So in these examples the D and the G

combined together produce the 'dg'

consonant sound 'dg'

Okay, so the letter E can often be silent

at the end of a word. I'm pretty sure

you know this one already, like these

examples:

But that E on the end, although it might be silent,

it can affect the pronunciation of the

vowel sound before it.

Let's look at these examples:

So see how the E at the end, although it's not

pronounced, is affecting the vowel sound

before it. It makes it longer. So hid /i/

becomes hide /i:/

But if the E is the final letter in

the word but it's the only vowel sound

then it needs to be pronounced, like in

these examples

E can also be silent at the end of past tense regular

verbs, which all end in ED, right?

But they're not always pronounced like it is

in 'wanted'. So, you can hear the ED sound

there '-ed', '-ed'. It's its own syllable.

But a lot of the time that E isn't pronounced

Now they could be a little bit tricky, so

let's do it again!

Okay, so a G can also be silent too! Think

about the word sign, champagne, design, or

foreign. All of these examples have a

silent G. And the combination GH can also

be silent when it comes after a vowel sound

Now, the letter H

is often silent too, often when it's

following a W, like in the examples

And sometimes it's not pronounced at the

start of a word like honest and hour.

And sometimes the H is not pronounced

when it follows any of these three

letters: C, G or R.

Now, most of the time

CH is pronounced 'ch' but on small occasions

or rare occasions

it's not pronounce, the H is silent.

Good news!

The I is not usually silent, it's usually

pronounced. Except in the word business!

Okay, K! Now I know you know this one!

A K is not pronounced when it comes before an N.

The letter L can be silent too and it's

quite common when you look at this list.

But consider this rule to be a bit of a

cheat because the letter L is quite

difficult to pronounce in all of these

words, even for a native speaker!

So, this makes it easier! In these

words where /l/ is really difficult to

pronounce then it's silent! Ready? Let's try it.

So, we got through quite a bit but

we're only halfway through! So, if you

want to keep watching and keep

practicing with silent letters in

English then click the link in the

description box and go to part 2 of this video.

Guys, I love making these videos

for you and I love hearing from you as

well, so if you want to say hi

come over to my facebook page at

mmmEnglish and say hello, ask question,

introduce yourself!

I'd love to hear from you there. Make sure

you check out part 2 - the links down

there! See you soon!