Silent letters at the very start

1. 1
   know/noʊ/

   verb

   To have a fact in your head and be sure of it.
2. 2
   knee/niː/

   noun

   The joint in the middle of your leg that lets it bend.
3. 3
   write/raɪt/

   verb

   To put something into words on paper or a screen.
4. 4
   wrap/ræp/

   verb

   To fold paper or cloth around something to cover it.
5. 5
   wrong/rɔːŋ/

   adverb

   In a way that is not correct.
6. 6
   honest/ˈɑːnəst/

   adjective

   Not cheating or lying to people.
7. 7
   hour/ˈaʊər/iAlso said aʊr.

   noun

   A length of time of sixty minutes.
8. 8
   rhythm/ˈrɪðəm/

   noun

   The pattern of strong and weak beats in spoken words.
9. 9
   psychiatrist/səˈkaɪətrəst/

   noun

   A doctor who treats mental illness.
10. 10
    pneumonia/nuːˈmoʊnjə/iAlso said nəˈmoʊnjə.

    noun

    An illness in the lungs that makes breathing hard.

The sentences

1. I know how it's spelled, I just can't say it.

2. My knee hurts when I stand up too fast.

3. Could you write that down for me, please?

4. I'd like to wrap this before we leave.

5. I think I said that word wrong again.

6. To be honest, I don't know the answer.

7. The train leaves in an hour, so let's hurry.

8. I can hear the rhythm when you read slowly.

9. She's seeing a psychiatrist about her sleep problems.

10. He was in the hospital with pneumonia last month.

Pronunciation

• know/noʊ/

  The k is silent, so it comes out exactly like "no".

• knee/niː/

  One syllable, just "nee" — no k sound at the front.

• write/raɪt/

  Sounds the same as "right"; the w is not said.

• wrap/ræp/

  Same sound as "rap" — start on the r.

• wrong/rɔːŋ/

  Starts on the r, and the vowel is long: RAWNG.

• honest/ˈɑːnəst/

  No h at all; it opens like the word "on".

• hour/ˈaʊər/

  Sounds just like "our" — the h is silent.

• rhythm/ˈrɪðəm/

  Two syllables, RITH-uhm, with the soft th of "the" and no h sound after the r.

• psychiatrist/səˈkaɪətrəst/

  The p drops off and the stress lands on the second syllable: suh-KY-uh-trist.

• pneumonia/nuːˈmoʊnjə/

  The p is silent and it begins like "new"; the stress is on the MO.

Questions

What do I say if I think I mispronounced a word?

You can say 'I think I said that word wrong again.'

What does honest mean?

It means not cheating or lying to people.

What do you say if the train is leaving soon?

You can say 'The train leaves in an hour, so let's hurry.'