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400 words with silent letters, arranged by level

400 words with silent letters, arranged by level

List of words with letters which are not pronounced, from Beginner level to very Advanced levels.

This is a list of important words to learn the pronunciation of because at least one letter is spelt but not said. It is given in approximate order of when to learn them, starting with words with silent letters which are vital even for very low-level learners and ending with useful words which even very high-level learners might not know. This site also has an article on how to teach words with silent letters and worksheets on some of the words, spellings, letter combinations and silent letters in this list.

Elementary words with silent letters/ A1-level words with silent letters

  • answer
  • autumn
  • ballet
  • biscuit
  • buffet
  • build
  • business
  • Christmas
  • climb/ climber
  • could
  • cupboard
  • hour
  • island
  • knife
  • know/ knows/ knew
  • listen
  • raspberry
  • receipt
  • sandwich
  • science/ scientist
  • scissors
  • should
  • Wednesday
  • what
  • when
  • where
  • which
  • whiskey/ whisky
  • white
  • who/ whose
  • why
  • would
  • wrap
  • wrestling
  • write
  • wrong
  • yoghurt

 

Pre-Intermediate words with silent letters/ A2-level words with silent letters

  • aisle
  • anywhere/ everywhere/ nowhere/ somewhere
  • bomb
  • built
  • castle
  • comb
  • exhibition
  • foreign/ foreigner
  • ghost
  • guarantee
  • guard
  • handkerchief
  • handsome
  • honest
  • iron/ ironing
  • knee
  • knit/ knitting
  • lamb
  • listener
  • muscle
  • plumber
  • rhyme/ rhyming
  • rhythm
  • scenery
  • thumb
  • whale
  • wheat
  • wheel/ wheelchair
  • whether
  • while
  • whistle
  • whole
  • wrote

 

Intermediate words with silent letters/ B1-level words with silent letters

  • acquaintance
  • artistically
  • basically
  • bomber
  • cabaret
  • campaign/ campaigner
  • chalet
  • column/ columnist
  • comically
  • debt
  • dishonest
  • doubt/ doubtful
  • exhausted/ exhausting
  • fascinated/ fascinating
  • fasten/ unfasten
  • gourmet
  • hourly
  • knapsack
  • knight/ knighthood
  • knock/ knocker
  • knot
  • knowledge
  • meanwhile
  • medically
  • mortgage
  • parliament
  • physically
  • politically
  • psychiatrist/ psychiatry
  • psychologist/ psychology
  • psychotherapy
  • rhino/ rhinoceros
  • sachet
  • salmon
  • scene
  • somewhat
  • sorbet
  • specifically
  • sword
  • tomb
  • typically
  • vehicle
  • whereabouts
  • whereas
  • whilst
  • whirlwind
  • whisper
  • whistle
  • whodunnit
  • wholemeal
  • wholesale
  • whom
  • worthwhile
  • wrapper
  • wreath
  • wrist

 

 

Upper Intermediate words with silent letters/ B2-level words with silent letters

  • acquire/ acquisition
  • asthma/ asthmatic
  • beret
  • bidet
  • breadcrumbs/ crumbs
  • condemn
  • coup
  • critically
  • cynically
  • damn
  • descend/ descent
  • diarrhoea/ diarrhea
  • dumb
  • elsewhere
  • ethically
  • exhaustion
  • exhibitor
  • exhilarated/ exhilarating
  • genetically
  • guardian
  • hasten
  • heir/ heirloom
  • honour/ honourable
  • hymn
  • isle
  • kneel
  • knickers
  • knob
  • leopard
  • miscellaneous
  • obscene/ obscenity
  • overwhelm/ underwhelm
  • playwright
  • pneumonia
  • pseudonym
  • psychic
  • reign/ reigning
  • rendezvous
  • rhetoric/ rhetorical
  • scent/ scented
  • silhouette
  • soften/ softener
  • solemn
  • tragically
  • wharf
  • whichever
  • whip/ whiplash
  • whisk
  • whiten
  • whoever
  • wholly
  • wrench
  • wrestle
  • wrinkle/ wrinkled/ wrinkly

 

Advanced and Proficiency words with silent letters/ C1- and C2-level words with silent letters

  • abscess
  • acquit/ acquittal
  • aghast
  • aplomb
  • apostle
  • apropos
  • arraign/ arraignment
  • ascend/ ascent
  • awhile
  • bourgeois
  • bristle/ bristly
  • bustle/ bustling
  • cachet
  • catacomb
  • chez
  • crochet
  • debris
  • debtor
  • deign
  • depot
  • diaphragm
  • disciple
  • epistle
  • erstwhile
  • exhaust
  • faux
  • feign
  • fluorescent
  • ghastly/ ghastliness
  • ghoul/ ghoulish
  • glisten/ glistening
  • gnarl/ gnarly
  • gnash
  • gnat
  • gnaw
  • gnome/ gnomic
  • gnu
  • gristle/ grisly
  • hustle/ hustler
  • indict/ indictment
  • ironically
  • islet
  • isthmus
  • jamb
  • jeopardy
  • jostle
  • knack
  • knackered
  • knave
  • knead
  • knickknack
  • knoll
  • knuckle
  • laissez faire
  • limb
  • mnemonic
  • moisten
  • narwhal
  • nestle
  • numb/ numbness
  • parliamentary
  • pestle
  • phlegm
  • playwright
  • plumb
  • pneumatic
  • pneumonic
  • psalm
  • pseud
  • pseudo
  • psyche
  • psycho/ psychotic
  • rapport
  • redoubt/ redoubtable
  • rhapsodic/ rhapsody/ rhapsodise
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • rhinestone
  • rhinoplasty
  • rhododendron
  • rhombic/ rhomboid
  • rhubarb
  • ricochet
  • rustle/ rustler
  • scenario
  • sciatic/ sciatica
  • scimitar
  • scintilla
  • scintillating
  • scion
  • shipwright
  • solemnity
  • soubriquet
  • subtle/ subtleness
  • succumb
  • thistle
  • tourniquet
  • trestle
  • valet
  • vehement
  • viscount
  • whack
  • whacko
  • wham/ whammy
  • wheedle/ wheedling
  • wheelie
  • wheeze/ wheeziness
  • whelk
  • wherein
  • whet/ whetstone
  • whey
  • whiff/ whiffy
  • whim
  • whimper
  • whimsy/ whimsical
  • whine/ whiny
  • whinge
  • whirl
  • whirr
  • whiskers
  • whist
  • whittle
  • whiz
  • whoop/ whoopee
  • whoops
  • whoosh
  • whopper/ whopping
  • whore
  • womb
  • wraith
  • wrangle/ wrangler
  • wrath/ wrathful
  • wreak
  • wreck/ wreckage
  • wren
  • wrest
  • wretch/ wretched
  • wriggle/ wriggly
  • wring/ wringer
  • writ
  • writhe
  • wronged/ wrongful
  • wrought
  • wrung
  • wry

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Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com

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