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Why English has So Many Words with Silent Letters
Origins of some of the most notorious words with silent letters
When new English learners begin their journey of acquiring the most popular language in the world, one of the biggest challenges is pronouncing words that contain silent letters. For example, as a new English learner ten-or-so years ago, I remember being wildly confused as to why the letter ‘b’ in the word “doubt” was silent. This conundrum stuck with me for words like “island”, “knight”, “through”, “lasagna”, and “debt” for years. I can guarantee many new English learners and even native English speakers feel the same way about these words. But did you know the historical origins of silent letters in English?
Knight, Knife, Knock, Knit, etc.
Words with begin with ‘kn’ have a very specific origin. They all originate from the old Germanic language that is the ancestor to middle English. Knight, for example, originates from the ancient Germanic word Knecht, with the ‘K’ and the ‘ch’ both audibly pronounced. In the early days of the English language, the ‘K’ in knight was pronounced. However, as time passes, the pronunciation of the word became what it is today. The same applies to words such as knife, knock, knit, and more.
