ESL Activities

ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More

  • Warm-Up
  • Listen
  • Read
  • Speak
  • Write
  • Jobs
  • Podcast

in Listening· Reading· Speaking· Writing

List of English Words with Silent Letters

Silent letters, as the name suggests, are letters within a word that are not pronounced when the word is spoken aloud. These letters occupy their positions quietly and influence the pronunciation and spelling of the word in subtle ways. Although they may seem unimportant, their impact on the phonetic landscape of the word is significant. In this article, we’ll learn some of the most common words with silent letters in the English language.

List of Words with Silent Letters

  • Bomb
  • Calf
  • Change
  • Climb
  • Crumb
  • Debt
  • Echo
  • Fascinate
  • Handsome
  • Honest
  • Knife
  • Lamb
  • Muscle
  • Salmon
  • Sandwich
  • Scene
  • Thumb
  • Womb

words with silent letters

Words with Silent Letters in English

Now, we will go over each word from the list above with the correct pronunciation and pictures.

Bomb

Bomb: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “bahm.”

Calf

Calf: The silent letter is “l.” Pronounced as “kæf.”

Change

Change: The silent letter is “e.” Pronounced as “cheynj.”

Climb: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “klahym.”

Crumb

Crumb: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “kruhm.”

Debt

Debt: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “det.”

Echo

Echo: The silent letter is “h.” Pronounced as “ek-oh.”

Fascinate

Fascinate: The silent letter is “c.” Pronounced as “fass-uh-neyt.”

Handsome

Handsome: The silent letter is “d.” Pronounced as “han-suhm.”

Honest

Honest: The silent letter is “h.” Pronounced as “on-ist.”

Knife

Knife: The silent letter is “k.” Pronounced as “nahyf.”

Lamb

Lamb: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “lam.”

Muscle

Muscle: The silent letter is “c.” Pronounced as “muh-suhl.”

Salmon

Salmon: The silent letter is “l.” Pronounced as “sam-uhn.”

Sandwich

Sandwich: The silent letter is “d.” Pronounced as “san-wich.”

Scene

Scene: The silent letter is “c.” Pronounced as “seen.”

Thumb

Thumb: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “thuhm.”

Womb

Womb: The silent letter is “b.” Pronounced as “woom.”

FAQs About Words with Silent Letters

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about silent letters in English.

What words have silent letters?

Words with silent letters are those where certain letters are not pronounced when speaking the word aloud. Some examples include Bomb, Calf, Change, Climb, Crumb, Debt, Echo, Fascinate, Handsome, Honest, Knife, Lamb, Muscle, Salmon, Sandwich, Scene, Thumb, and Womb.

What are 10 words with the silent letter L?

Words with the silent letter L: half, calf, talk, walk, chalk, palm, almond, could, should, and yolk.

What word has a silent Z?

Rendezvous is a word borrowed from French, so the “z” is silent. You pronounce it as ron-day-voo.

Is the L silent in salmon?

Yes, the “L” in “salmon” is silent. It is pronounced as “sam-uhn.”

What are 10 words with the silent letter B?

Words with the silent letter B: bomb, comb, climb, crumb, dumb, debt, doubt, thumb, womb, and subtle.

Is the R in February silent?

Some people pronounce the first “r” of February and some do not. Both ways are correct, but most people prefer to drop the first “r”.

What words have a silent P?

Words with the silent letter P: psychology, pseudo, and receipt.

More English Vocabulary

Here are more English vocabulary resources.

  • 20 Most Common Adjectives that Start with B
  • Animals that Start with I | Names, Pictures, Fun Facts
  • List of Animals that Start with U with Pictures and Fun Facts
  • List of Animals that Start with E with Pictures
  • Most Common 4 Letter Words in English
  • 19 Laboratory Equipment Names in English with Pictures
  • Common Words that Start with A in English with Images

 

Word with Silent Letter: Join the Conversation

Can you think of another English word that has a silent letter? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 20 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 100 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder, 67 ESL Conversation Topics,and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at:
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram

« Fun Activities for Middle School Students: Games & Lesson Ideas
20 Most Common Adjectives that Start with B »
Great Debates for ESL/EFL: 39 Important Debating Topics for English Learners and Teachers (Teaching...
Great Debates for ESL/EFL: 39 Important Debating Topics for English Learners and Teachers (Teaching...
Check Price on Amazon
103 Low-Prep ESL Speaking Games & Activities for Kids, Teenagers, and Adults: The Ultimate Book for...
103 Low-Prep ESL Speaking Games & Activities for Kids, Teenagers, and Adults: The Ultimate Book for...
Check Price on Amazon
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
Check Price on Amazon
Sale 1001 English Expressions and Phrases: Common Sentences and Dialogues Used by Native English Speakers...
1001 English Expressions and Phrases: Common Sentences and Dialogues Used by Native English Speakers...
Check Price on Amazon

Search this site

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. What does this mean? I recommend products (only ones that I like) and if you purchase a product through that link, I earn some money.

Sale 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Check Price on Amazon
Sale 39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
Check Price on Amazon
ESL Classroom Management

ESL Classroom Management Tips and Tricks | Teaching ESL

last day of school games

Last Day of School Ideas for Games, Activities & More

giving-instructions-esl-classroom

Giving Instructions: Tips for Teachers | Teaching ESL Abroad

things that come in pairs chart

Things That Come in Pairs: List, Pictures & Chart of Pairs of Things

ESL role playing ideas

Role Play Topics and Ideas for ESL | ESL Role Playing Activity

Sale 101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Check Price on Amazon
  • About + Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Top Selling ESL Activity Book

39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults (Teaching ESL Conversation and...
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults (Teaching ESL Conversation and...
Check Price on Amazon

Search

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

More ESL Activities and Games

classroom objects

List of Classroom Objects in English with Pictures | English Vocabulary

parts-of-speech-esl

ESL Parts of Speech Activities, Worksheets & Lesson Plans

esl-idiom-activity

Idiom Activity for ESL Students | English Idioms

ESL conversation topics for beginners

ESL Conversation Topics for Beginners | Top 20 TEFL Topics

About, Contact, Privacy Policy

Best-selling author and English teacher Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL activities and games since 2015. The goal is to bring you the best ideas, lesson plans, and activity recommendations for your TEFL classes.

Get in touch: About + Contact

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Email: jb.business.online@gmail.com

Pinterest

Facebook

TikTok

YouTube

LinkedIn

Address: 2436 Kelly Ave, Port Coquitlam, Canada

Copyright © 2025 Jackie Bolen + ESL Activities. All rights reserved.