For systematic learning, students can include AP Inter 1st Year English Study Material and Silent Letters in English Inter 1st Year in their daily study routine.
Inter 1st Year English Silent Letters with Answers
Silent letters are a peculiar feature of English spelling. Letters are used in writing but the corresponding sounds are not uttered in pronunciation. This poses problems to learners both in spelling and pronunciation. A study says that 60% of the English words have silent letters!
Careful observation of both the spelling and pronunciation is the only way out to overcome this problem. There are, however, some generalizations about silent letters that will help learners understand this feature to some extent.
In the Intermediate Public Examination, normally, the words that appear in the prescribed selections with a silent consonant letter are set under this question.
Some Guidelines:
- ‘b’ before word-final ’t’ is silent – doubt debt.
- ‘b’ in final mb’ clusters is also silent. – comb womb tomb
- g’ before word final ’n’ is silent. – sign resign foreign campaign reign sovereign
- g’ in most ‘ough’, ‘augh’ combinations is silent. – though taught through thorough
(But in some words with ’augh’ it may sound as /f/ as in ’laughter’) - ‘h’ in word beginning position (not always) is silent. – honest honour
- ‘k’ in word beginning followed by n’ is silent. – knowledge know knit knee knave knuckle
- ‘l’ before word final ‘m’ is silent. – calm palm (but in realm – ‘l’ is not silent)
- Word final n’ preceded by m’ is silent, condemn column autumn
- ‘p’ in word beginning position followed by ‘s’ is silent, psychology psalm pseudo
- ‘p’ in words like receipt is also silent.
- ‘r’ followed by a consonant letter is silent, world card
- ‘t’ is silent in clusters like ‘astle’, ‘isten’, istle’ as in castle whistle listen
- w’ is silent in words like – write wrap know fawn lawn
(These guiding principles are by no way exhaustive. They help the learner to a great extent in identifying the silent letters. About vowels – the problem is not this simple or unambiguous. So no generalisation is given here.)
Some More Examples
| Silent Letter | Example Words |
| a | head, bread, deaf, meant |
| b | debt, lamb, bomb, tomb |
| c | muscle, blackguard, yacht, indict |
| d | Wednesday, handkerchief, handbag |
| g | gnaw, gnome, phlegm |
| h | honour, heir, ghost, night |
| k | know, knee, knock |
| l | talk, folk, salmon, colonel |
| m | mnemonic |
| n | hymn, solemn, damn |
| Silent Letter | Example Words |
| o | leopard, jeopardy |
| P | psalm, psychology, pneumatic, cupboard, receipt |
| q(u) | lacquer |
| r | myrrh, catarrh |
| s | isle, aisle, viscount, mess |
| t | often, thistle, castle, fasten, mortgage |
| u | build, guild, plague |
| w | whole, write, sword |
| z | rendezvous |
| gh | sigh, high, daughter |
| Silent consonant | Example Words |
| 1. b | comb, climb, debt, plumber, tomb, subtle, dumb, bomb, doubt, numb, thumb, womb. |
| 2. c | acquire, acquit, blackguard, czar, muscle, scissors |
| 3. d | handkerchief, Wednesday (commonly said Wensday) |
| 4. f | halfpenny |
| 5. g | align, alight, champagne, diaphram, gnaw, high, light, reign |
| 6. gh | right, drought, eight, weigh |
| 7. h | choir, exhaust, hour, honour, honest, herb, rhyme, rhythm |
| 8. k | knee, knife, know |
| 9. l | calm, folk, salmon, talk, walk, could, should; would, folk, half, calf. |
| 10. m | mnemonic. |
| 11. n | autumn, chimney, column, damn, damn, government, solemn. |
| 12. p | cupboard, pneumonia, psalm |
| 13. r | butter, finger, surprise |
| 14. s | aisle, island, debris, isle |
| 15. t | Chevrolet, depot, listen, whistle, wrestle, apostle |
| 16. w | who, whole, write, wrong, two, sword, wrist, answer |
Exercises
1. Identify the silent consonants in the following words.
1. thumb – b
2. thirst – r
3. muscle – c
4. iron – r
5. write – w
6. vehicle – h
7. numb – b
8. yolk – l
9. clutch – t
10. campaign – g
11. aisle – s
12. neighbour – gh
13. scent – c
14. almond – l
15. World – r
16. tackle – c
17. wrinkle – w
18. knot – k
19. bright – gh
20. journey – o
21. chalk – l
22. limb – b
23. weight – gh
24. wrath – w
25. folk – l
26. discipline – c
27. mortgage – t
28. fascinate – c
29. design – g
30. balm – l
31. thigh – gh
32. rustlings – t
33. knob – k
34. slaughter – gh
35. yacht – ch
36. heir – h
37. answer – w
38. cupboard – p
39. palm – l
40. thorn – r
41. Christmas – t
42. pledge – d
43. wrong – w
44. sword – w
45. knew – k
46. psychology – p
47. scene – c
48. debris – s
49. depot – t
50. alms – l
51. hour – h
52. salmon – l
53. knee – k
54. castle – t
55. Wednesday – d
56. wreath – w
57. judge – d
58. knock – k
59. honourable – h
60. rapport – t
2. Identify the silent consonants in the following words.
1. subtle – b
2. handsome – d
3. resign – g
4. knead – k
5. wreck – w
6. psyche – p
3. Identify the silent consonants in the following words.
1. soften – t
2. cupboard – p
3. honour – h
4. kneel – k
5. surprise – r
6. pneumonia – p