Why English Keeps Quiet About Some of Its Letters

Ever notice how English loves to play hide and seek with its letters? In words like “business” and “knowledge,” certain letters stay quietly hidden while others step into the spotlight. These silent letters aren’t random – they’re like timestamps in our language, telling stories about where words came from and how they evolved. Master these silent letters, and you’ll unlock a deeper understanding of English that goes far beyond just pronunciation.

Common Silent Letters in Business English

The Silent ‘K’
• “Knowledge” – “Share your industry knowledge”
• “Know” – “Know your market”
• “Knack” – “She has a knack for negotiations”

The Mysterious ‘B’
• “Debt” – “Managing company debt”
• “Doubt” – “Remove any doubt from clients’ minds”
• “Subtle” – “A subtle shift in market trends”

The Quiet ‘W’
• “Write” – “Write the quarterly report”
• “Whole” – “The whole team agrees”
• “Wrong” – “Identify the wrong assumptions”

The Silent ‘GH’
• “Through” – “Think through the strategy”
• “Right” – “The right investment choice”
• “Eight” – “Eight key performance indicators”
• “Height” – “The height of market success”

Why Do Silent Letters Exist?

The word “knight” tells a fascinating tale with its two silent letters. The ‘k’ comes from Old English when “kn” was a common sound, especially in words about status and skill. Back then, speakers actually pronounced both the ‘k’ and ‘n’ together! As for the ‘gh’, it once represented a throat-clearing sound (like in Scottish “loch”), but English speakers gradually found this sound too harsh and dropped it. While the ‘k’ fell silent due to pronunciation convenience, and the ‘gh’ disappeared as language tastes changed, both letters stayed in the spelling as historical markers of the word’s noble origins.