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Silent Letters in English: Words Indians Mispronounce

Letters you write but never say — the silent k, b, t, l and friends that Indian-language scripts tempt you to pronounce.

The silent letters that trip up Indian speakers

62 words

Letters you write but never say — the silent k, b, t, l and friends that Indian-language scripts tempt you to pronounce. Most Indian languages are phonetic — you say every letter you write — so these words feel like they break the rules. Tap any word to hear the correct pronunciation, then open its page to say it into your mic and get a free instant clarity check. No sign-up.

Wednesday
WENZ-day
February
FEB-roo-er-ee
environment
in-VY-run-munt
salmon
SAM-un
almond
AH-mund
debt
DET
subtle
SUT-ul
receipt
ri-SEET
island
EYE-lund
business
BIZ-nis
diaphragm
DY-uh-fram
queue
KYOO
often
OFF-un
vehicle
VEE-uh-kul
sword
SORD
plumber
PLUM-er
psychology
sy-KOL-uh-jee
pneumonia
nyoo-MOH-nee-uh
yacht
YOT
mortgage
MOR-gij
aisle
YL
answer
AAN-suh
autumn
AW-tum
bomb
BOM
calf
KAAF
calm
KAAM
campaign
kam-PAYN
castle
KAA-sul
climb
KLYM
column
KOL-um
comb
KOHM
could
KUUD
cupboard
KUB-ud
doubt
DOWT
foreign
FOR-un
half
HAAF
handkerchief
HANG-kuh-chif
heir
AIR
honest
ON-ist
hour
OW-er
hymn
HIM
knee
NEE
knife
NYF
knight
NYT
knock
NOK
knot
NOT
knowledge
NOL-ij
lamb
LAM
listen
LIS-un
muscle
MUS-ul
numb
NUM
raspberry
RAAZ-buh-ree
reign
RAYN
resign
ri-ZYN
rhythm
RITH-um
sign
SYN
thumb
THUM
walk
WAWK
whistle
WIS-ul
wrap
RAP
wrestle
RES-ul
wrist
RIST
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Keep practicing your pronunciation

Explore every commonly mispronounced word, or see the words Indian speakers get wrong most often — each links to a free audio and mic check.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are silent letters in English?

Letters you write but never say — the silent k, b, t, l and friends that Indian-language scripts tempt you to pronounce. These are exactly the silent letters that trip up Indian English speakers most often — each word below links to a page where you hear it, say it into your mic, and get a free instant clarity check.

Why do Indian speakers struggle with silent letters?

Most Indian languages are phonetic — you say every letter you see — so English exceptions like these feel counter-intuitive. Grouping the words by trap type makes the pattern obvious, so once you fix one you fix them all.

How can I practice these silent letters for free?

Tap the play button on any word to hear the correct pronunciation, then open the word's page to say it into your microphone and get an instant clarity check — no sign-up needed. Reinforce it in the free Pronunciation Challenge game.

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