Improve English Pronunciation: Silent B

Introduction

• Have you ever noticed that some letters in English words seem to disappear when we say them?

  • My thumb is numb.

  • I lost my comb when we climbed the hill

  • I am debt-free.

• What do all of these sentences have in common? They contain a silent letter. Judging from the title, you already know which letter is silent. But, do you know why? There is a pattern. Look at these sentences and see if you recognize them.

1. He climbed the tree to get a better view.

2. She combed her hair before leaving the house.

3. The ancient tomb was hidden deep in the jungle.

4. He acted dumb to avoid answering the question.

5. There was no doubt that she was telling the truth.

Rules

• B silent when it comes after the letter M as in MB

  • Climb

  • Comb

  • Thumb

  • Lamb

  • Dumb

  • Tomb

  • Womb

  • Bomb

  • Numb

  • Plumb

• B is silent when it comes before T as in BT

  • Doubt

  • Debt

  • Subtle

• There are not many words that follow the BT pattern.

Now you know when to keep the B silent! With these patterns in mind, you'll never doubt how to pronounce these tricky words again.

Silent B (1)

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