Shhh...these are silent letters.
I'm going to show you how to pronounce them correctly.
Or more appropriately, not pronounce them at all.
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A common question that we get is...
"Why are some words in English not pronounced the way they are spelled?"
Well, there are several reasons for that.
Historically, the pronunciation of English words
has changed over time, even slightly, as we've gone
from Old English to Middle English to the Modern English that we speak today.
Sometimes, the spelling would even change with the pronunciation.
But not anymore.
In the 15th century, the printing press was invented
and that helped standardize spelling.
So now, even if pronunciation may change or evolve
in some way, shape, or form
spelling largely remains the same.
Now, one result from all of English's historical changes
is the existence of silent letters.
And that's what I want to talk to you about today.
So in this lesson, we're going to look at two silent letters
that we commonly see at the beginning of some words.
These are the letters K and W.
I say we're going to look at them because that is
all we are going to do. We are going to look and not pronounce.
Please keep in mind this is the American pronunciation of these words.
Now, silent letters are common across most English varieties.
However, the pronunciation may vary slightly depending on where you are.
First, let's look at some K words
Now you find a silent K when it is followed by the letter "n".
Here are some common words that you've probably seen before.
Now, I'll say the words and then you can repeat after me.
Notice that I did not pronounce the K
in any of those words.
The K is silent, and each of those words
begins with the N sound.
Now, let's go over the silent W.
This is another silent letter that is typically
found at the beginning of some words.
However, the silent W is usually
followed by the letter "r".
Here are some examples, so please repeat after me.
Notice once again that the W is silent.
So when it's followed by an "r"
then the word begins with the R sound.
Now you should be aware that there are other words
that have a silent W but are not followed by the letter "r".
These words include...
Good job guys! You sound just like native English speakers.
Now let's make it a little more challenging.
I'm going to give you some sentences,
and I want you to say them out loud.
I'll say them, so you can hear my pronunciation.
And then I want you to repeat them so you can keep practicing.
Here's the first one.
Great job saying those sentences!
I'd recommend doing this exercise one more time
and continue practicing your pronunciation
because this is going to help you improve your overall English fluency.
Please "like" the video if you were able to pronounce these words correctly.
And remember to follow us on social media
for ways to practice and improve your English.
Thanks for watching! We hope you enjoyed
today's lesson and learned a little more about
silent letters and why you should not pronounce them.
We'll see you next time.