Words that sound nothing like they look

/jɑːt/noun

A large private boat used for pleasure trips or racing.

They rented a yacht for the whole weekend.

/jɑːt/noun

A large private boat used for pleasure trips or racing.

The ch is silent; it rhymes with 'hot'.

/ɪˈpɪtəmi/noun

A perfect example of a type of thing.

She's the epitome of calm under real pressure.

/ɪˈpɪtəmi/noun

A perfect example of a type of thing.

Four syllables, stress on the second, and it ends in 'mee' — not 'tome'.

/kjuː/noun

A line of people waiting for their turn.

We stood in the queue for almost an hour.

/kjuː/noun

A line of people waiting for their turn.

One syllable — it sounds exactly like the name of the letter Q.

/soʊ/verb

To join pieces of cloth with a needle and thread.

I need to sew this hem before tomorrow.

/soʊ/verb

To join pieces of cloth with a needle and thread.

Sounds like 'so', not 'sue'.

/ˈsʌtəl/adjective

So slight or faint that it is easy to miss.

There's a subtle difference between these two colors.

/ˈsʌtəl/adjective

So slight or faint that it is easy to miss.

The b is silent: 'suttle'.

/ðoʊ/adverb

Used at the end of a sentence to add something that goes against what was just said.

I'd still like to try it, though.

/ðoʊ/adverb

Used at the end of a sentence to add something that goes against what was just said.

The gh is silent; it rhymes with 'go'.

/ˌɪnˈdaɪt/verb

To formally charge someone with a crime.

They plan to indict him for tax fraud.

/ˌɪnˈdaɪt/verb

To formally charge someone with a crime.

The c is silent; it rhymes with 'invite'.

/ˈkwaɪər/noun

A group of singers who perform together at a religious service.

The choir sings just before the reading starts.

/ˈkwaɪər/noun

A group of singers who perform together at a religious service.

Starts with a kw sound and rhymes with 'wire'.

/ˈkɜːrnəl/noun

A senior army officer, ranking just below a general.

The colonel saluted and marched his troops onto the parade ground.

/ˈkɜːrnəl/noun

A senior army officer, ranking just below a general.

Two syllables, stress on the first, and it comes out sounding like 'kernel'.

/nɔː/verb

To bite and chew at something over and over.

The puppy loves to gnaw on my shoes.

/nɔː/verb

To bite and chew at something over and over.

The g is silent, so it starts like 'no'.