Why Do We Use ‘Silent’ Letters in Words?

Some letters are like invisible helpers. They help the word sound right, but you don’t hear them. Like how ‘knight’ has a ‘k’ and a ‘gh,’ but we don’t say those sounds, they’re just there to help people know it’s pronounced ‘nite.’

Think of silent letters like extra pieces in a puzzle, they make the picture clearer, even if you can’t see them.

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Examples

  1. A ‘b’ in ‘debt’ doesn’t say anything, but people still write it.
  2. The ‘k’ in ‘knight’ is invisible, you don’t hear it when you read the word.
  3. Even though you don’t say the ‘p’ in ‘psychology,’ it’s still there.

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