Letters that stay silent

1. 1
   rhythm/ˈrɪðəm/

   noun

   A regular repeated pattern of sound or movement.
2. 2
   salmon/ˈsæmən/

   noun

   A large pink fish that swims up rivers to breed.
3. 3
   island/ˈaɪlənd/

   noun

   A piece of land with water all around it.
4. 4
   queue/kjuː/

   noun

   A line of people waiting for their turn.
5. 5
   genre/ˈʒɑːnrə/

   noun

   A category of art or writing with a shared style.
6. 6
   sword/sɔːrd/

   noun

   A weapon with a long metal blade.
7. 7
   subtle/ˈsʌtəl/

   adjective

   So slight that it is hard to notice.
8. 8
   debt/det/

   noun

   Money that you owe to someone.
9. 9
   height/haɪt/

   noun

   How tall something is.
10. 10
    vehicle/ˈviːhɪkəl/iAlso said ˈviːɪkəl.

    noun

    A machine that carries people or goods on roads.

Pronunciation

• rhythm/ˈrɪðəm/

  No vowel letters in the second syllable, but there is a vowel sound.

• salmon/ˈsæmən/

  The 'l' is silent: SAM-un.

• island/ˈaɪlənd/

  The 's' is silent. It sounds exactly like 'eye-land'.

• queue/kjuː/

  Four of the five letters do nothing. It is just 'kyoo'.

• genre/ˈʒɑːnrə/

  French: the 'g' is soft, like the 's' in 'measure'.

• sword/sɔːrd/

  The 'w' is silent. It rhymes with 'board'.

• subtle/ˈsʌtəl/

  The 'b' is silent: SUT-ul.

• debt/det/

  The 'b' is silent. It sounds like 'det'.

• height/haɪt/

  Ends in a hard 't' sound, not 'th'.

• vehicle/ˈviːhɪkəl/

  The 'h' is silent: VEE-i-kul.