# English words with silent letters **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 7, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486 "2022-11-07T01:28:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/21 "2022-11-07T10:54:05Z")
Technically a proper name - the first “r” in “Worcestershire” (sauce). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/22 "2022-11-07T11:18:58Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > > [@Max\_S](#): > > > > ‘p’ pterodactyl > > And ptarmigan too > In one of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin books, Jack Aubrey, intending to refer to his mother-in-law a termagant, says she’s a ptarmigan. I don’t believe there are _any_ words that start with pt where the p is pronounced. Ptosis, ptomaine, ptisan, pterin…I’m sure there are others. Except, perhaps, _ptooey_. 🙂 mmm ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/23 "2022-11-07T12:39:18Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > o opossum I always assumed that if you spelled it with an o, you’d pronounce the o, but it appears that [some people do in fact consider the o silent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/possum-vs-opossum-difference-pronunciation). > [@](#): > > ## How to Pronounce ‘Opossum’ > > To make things even more confusing, some people say you should spell it _opossum_ but pronounce it without that first syllable; our pronunciation guidance at the entry for _opossum_ recognizes this by putting that first syllable in parentheses: (ə-)ˈpä-səm. You can, indeed, write _opossum_ and say it like “possum” and be using an officially recognized pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/24 "2022-11-07T12:42:47Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > m ? I thought of this because of the movie, “Johnny Mnemonic” mne·mon·ic /nəˈmänik/ ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/25 "2022-11-07T12:49:13Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I thought of this because of the movie, “Johnny Mnemonic” > > mne·mon·ic > > /nəˈmänik/ That’s one that I keep forgetting. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/26 "2022-11-07T13:44:59Z")
A Roger Moore movie: “ffolkes.” ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/27 "2022-11-07T14:34:23Z")
Ctenophore and cnidarian are fun biology class examples for a silent C. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/28 "2022-11-08T01:14:18Z")
Lot’s of good answers here. I especially liked pterodactyl. But no silent v. I guess Jim was right. Jim’s real name was Joachim, but always called himself Jim so I guess the oach was silent. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/29 "2022-11-08T01:32:05Z")
Lots and lots of silent letters in “forecastle”. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/30 "2022-11-08T02:21:33Z")
Almost as many in “botswain.” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/31 "2022-11-08T06:41:30Z")
Not only are there no silent Vs, but AFICT, there’s only one instance where there’s a V-sound which is not spelled with a V. That occurs in one of the most common words in English: **of**. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/32 "2022-11-08T08:59:38Z")
I pronounce it as spelled. My friend - a tall ship sailor - pronounces it the pirate way: fo’c’sle ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/33 "2022-11-08T16:36:01Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > But no silent v. I guess Jim was right. Jim’s real name was Joachim, but always called himself Jim so I guess the oach was silent. ⁢ The best I can do is the word “voila,” which apparently a lot of people pronounce with a silent V–hence spelling it “walla” or similar. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/34 "2022-11-08T17:03:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The best I can do is the word “voila,” which apparently a lot of people pronounce with a silent V–hence spelling it “walla” or similar. That’s not really a silent V. Just pronouncing the V as /w/ instead of /v/. It’s much the same as many words spelled with an S where that letter is pronounced /z/ instead of /s/. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/35 "2022-11-08T19:14:53Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > The best I can do is the word “voila,” which apparently a lot of people pronounce with a silent V–hence spelling it “walla” or similar. ⁢ > > That’s not really a silent V. Just pronouncing the V as /w/ instead of /v/. It’s much the same as many words spelled with an S where that letter is pronounced /z/ instead of /s/. ⁢ I disagree. The word “voila” comes from French, and in French “oi” makes a “wah” sound (e.g. _au revoir_). So the /w/ is already in the word. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/36 "2022-11-08T20:17:06Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The word “voila” comes from French, and in French “oi” makes a “wah” sound (e.g. _au revoir_). So the /w/ is already in the word. Normally, I’d say that English is not French, so how it’s pronounced in French is irrelevant. But there are a few other words from French with ‘oi’ that we pronounce with a /w/, so I guess I’ll concede the point. This reminds me of one of my favorite pronunciation trivia questions, one which I came up with myself and have never seen elsewhere. The /kw/ sound in English is usually spelled QU, however, there’s one or two words where it’s spelled KW. What English word has a /kw/ sound but does not have a Q, U, K or W anywhere in the word? Note: this is not an obscure word found only in unabridged dictionaries. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/37 "2022-11-08T20:40:12Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The /kw/ sound in English is usually spelled QU, however, there’s one or two words where it’s spelled KW. What English word has a /kw/ sound but does not have a Q, U, K or W anywhere in the word? Note: this is not an obscure word found only in unabridged dictionaries. Choir? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/38 "2022-11-08T20:41:38Z")
Yep, you got it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/39 "2022-11-08T21:38:02Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > The /kw/ sound in English is usually spelled QU, however, there’s one or two words where it’s spelled KW. What English word has a /kw/ sound but does not have a Q, U, K or W anywhere in the word? Note: this is not an obscure word found only in unabridged dictionaries. > > Choir? Nice. I thought of “coif” but I wasn’t sure whether that counted as an English word. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486/40 "2022-11-09T02:36:46Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I thought of “coif” but I wasn’t sure whether that counted as an English word. M-W has that word with two different pronunciations. One has a /kw/ sound, but I don’t use that pronunciation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-silent-letters/974486.md?page=3)