Silent K
Why do we have a silent k in some words?
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Posted on August 7, 2008 · Filed Under Lessons
Why do we have a silent k in some words?
Remember to vote for your teacher over at the Best Weekend Ever Website.
You can vote up to 5 times a day.
Posted on August 7, 2008 · Filed Under Lessons
pterodactyls are pterrifying!!!!!!!!! who put the silent p in there. I’m talking about the flying dinosaur in case anyone’s confused.
Someone mentioned pneumonia. In French, the ‘p’ is pronounced in pneumonie. There are other examples where a very similar word in French maintains the pronuncation of a letter that the English have rendered silent.
subtle and debt
Hello all:
Silent letters:
Rhubarb pro. Rubarb
Mighty pro. Mity
Tea pro. T
Two pro. To
Four pro. For
I think I hear his mating call.
Big Bird is gay.
Well, maybe not gay, but they certainly SEEM gay….
…not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Even more obscure and irrelevant…. Has anyone ever really seen a “Bald” Eagle? May I get a feather in my cap now?
Too much coffee…. I’m gonna go lay down now…
i dont like ur raideo thing we dont get to see u
Word Request for “Alliteration”‘
“HotForWords K-nows K-nothing” is an alluring alliteration in the title typed for this word lesson. It uses both avenues of alliteration.
As it aptly appears with two silent Ks, we obviously observe the repetition of the first letter in both words.
As it should show in usual usage, “HotForWords knows nothing”, the construct is the kind with repetition of the first consonant sound in both words.
This is really reminiscent of Sergeant Schultz in Hogan’s
Heroes. He frequently phrased “I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing”. I wonder if current usage is derived from this TV comedy.
Some people get to the head of the line or have special treatments because that have “clout”. I’d like to know what is “clout” and how do I get it?
numb the b is silent, and Destine where the e is silent, know a silent k.
here’s one…Sword..the silent w
How about Dumb, the b is silet.
Hi Marina! Great vid.
I have a WORD REQUEST! With the Olympics coming up and everything I wanted to know the meaning of the phrase
CHARLIE-HORSE
It’s a problem I have sometimes and I’ve always wondered, “who is this charlie and who is his horse?”
It might make a fun video, and it would be interesting.
Other words with silent letters? That’s Eazy, right?
How about those silent E’s to start? Also… what’s with the silent G before some words… like Gnosis? Is there any relation to silent k’s?
Thanks,
SGOG
P.S. Intelligence is Sexy! Thank you for helping people be more intelligent in their words et cetera.
I would like to know what the where the word urika as in “urika!! I’ve found it” came from?
Thanks
Fly United
I wonder about the word (decide).
From my understanding de is of and cide is murder.
So see the word deals with choice does the word decide mean murder of choice?
Ther won’t be another day quite like this one until September 9 next year! Happy Cubic Day (8×8x8)!
To celebrate, I’d like to reiterate my word request for the use of and origin for “dirt”.
dirty dog,
dirty dancing,
dirt nap,
sleep dirt?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3KtuQs5FJ4&feature =related
Word request!
Wenis! I get tired of hearing that it’s your elbow or it’s the skin between your index finger and thumb, and from what I can find, it is merely an old god’s name, and that’s it.
One more and I will stop.
Whilst I’m on the subject of the letter “s”, why do the English use words like customise and Americans use customize? And in England, they pronunce the “sch” as “sh” in school and schedule whilst Americans pronounce it as “sk.”
I would also like to know how the long “s” which looks like the lower case “f” in script became the letter “s” we use today. And what about the word “today?” In the early 20th Century it was to-day and before that it was this day.
knag
knapsack
knapweed
knaur
knead
kneebrush
knish
knobstick
knockwurst
knock-kneed
knoll
knop
knowledge
knub
Whoops sorry, and the word “gym”
Hey Marina, just wondering where the word “brothel” originated!
Thank you!!!!!!
Marina - Who cares how Jay walks across the street? I mean, I use the corners but can you find out the origin of “Jaywalking” and why you get a ticket for something that’s named after Jay walking in Manhattan?
Darling Marina,
As my Dad used to say, in the word pneumonia, the “p” is silent, as in swimming. (hee hee)
Dear HotForWords,
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…
Please can you tell me, where do we get names for the seven days.
WM
Fun one Marina. Good video. For other silent ones. Gnat, psyche… etc etc
knack,knacker, knackwurst,knap knar knave knawel knead knee kneel knelt knell knickers knick-knack knit knitbone knob knobkerrie knock knoll knop knowbot knuckle knur knurl
Climb, Crumb, Dumb, Comb, Lamb “b”
Muscle, Scène, Scent, Science, Scissors “C”
Handkerchief Wendnesday “d”
Gnome, Gnaw, Gnats, Gnosis, Gnu “G”
Ought, Fought, Thought, Taught, Daughter
Night, Light, Might, Right, Fight “GH”
Cough, Rough, Enough, Tough gh is well soudns like F
What, Wham, Whip, Whiz, When, Where, Whether, Why “H”
Hour, Honest, Honour, Heir, Hah, Mynah, Cheetah, Sarah, Messiah,Myrrh , Catarrh, Rhyme, Rhubarb, Rhythm, Rhombus
“H”
Would, Should, Could, Half, Calf silent L
Autumn, Hymn, Damn, Column silent N
Island, Isle “S”
Often, Castle, Fasten, Listen, Rustle, Glisten,
Thistle, Whistle, Wrestle, Christmas, Listening “T”
Wrap, Wreck, Wrench, Write, Wrong “W”
gnome, knave, knell, gnaw, gnat, school, scholar, chiropractor, knit, solemn, column.
Just thought of a ‘Z’ word for my word request : Ziggurat
Silent “P’s” as in Psychology, Psalm, and Pseudisodomic. Silent “w’s” as in wreck, writing, wrath, There is also a silent “ph” which is pronounce as an “f” in many words like Phallus, Phantasize, and Phantasm. Hmmm.
“ph” is not silent in those words. it’s just another graphemic representation of the sound /f/.
I stand corrected.
Actually I thought that the ‘ph’ was just a different reperesentation as well, but I wasn’t confident enough ( ‘gh’ = ‘f’ ) to put it in writing.
Oh, I did not spell Evil Knieval right, did I?
That was so clever about Evil Kneival. I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that he kept the K in there. I think some examples of silent letters are words like “herb” which actually is pronounced with the “H” sound in England but not in America? It is interesting because “herbivore” has the “H” sound, doesn’t it? but “herb” does not, here in America.
Can you please trace the etymology of the strange word “crot”?
I’ve read that Tom Wolfe is said to have revived the term; I can see that it once meant something about lichen; I can conceive no connection. The information is all so fragmentary.
Thanks.
Very interesting indeed!
[copies off of others homework]
8-8-2008, today would be my 28th anniversary, if my x wife and I hadn’t divorced. Her Idea.
Other silent letter combinations:
-ou (i.e., gourmet, you…in each of those ONE letter is silent, although
) actually BOTH are silent, in favor of the ‘F’ sound…I think that deserves bonus points 
the silent letter is different between words)
-er in ANY British or Northeastern U.S. dialect
-ea (i.e., teach, beach, beat) the a is silent
-Ts (i.e., Tsang in Chinese)
-cz for anything from czecheslovakia
-ph…(like elephant, philology, philosophy–double -ph bonus on the last word
Homework: the letter Aleph (in Hebrew), knight, knowledge, the u in the Japanese desu at the end of a sentence, c in science, g in gnat, and the h in saccharine.
(extra credit): in koine Greek a double lambda (two lambda’s next to each other) is both called a gamma nasal and is pronounced as an n.
later, Marina!
-Shawn
knumber
how about the word SNICKERS. Just had an argument about this with this Canadian girl at work. Does it actually mean anything and how do you properly pronounce it?
Сникерс форева…. походу и не сникерс вовсе
Couple of meanings
1 ) To laugh quietly, under your breath.
2 ) A candy bar named Snickers
181st !!!
Silent L in the word Salmon.
ἔτυμον (étymon,-’etymos’ true) λόγος
A little test for the teacher. What is this?
triple 8 is coming!
(eastern time zone)
8-8-8
Hope it’s not as crazy as a full moon on UDF night!
HAPPY 888
Now it is……:shock:
8-8-2008, today would be my 28th anniversary, if my x wife and I hadn’t divorced. Her Idea……………..
Another good one - k’nockers!
Have a few k silent words, as the following are:
known, or alternatively unknown, having the ‘un’ prefixed.
Other K silent words: knit, know, knew.
Thats all i can come up with. Hope to follow on for more comments.
Ok, I’d like to know why English has so many “broken rules”? Best example, There was a whole Charlie Brown special about a spelling bee, and the main lesson that Charlie Brown had to remember to win the spelling bee was “I before E except after C” and remembering that, he won… HOWEVER, if he had been given the word weight, or the word height, he would have LOST the spelling bee.
It’s like truly for every rule in the English language, there is examples that break it. I personally have always been a very good speller (99% of the time, when I misspell a word, it’s due to typing too fast, not that I didn’t know how to spell it), but I hear all the time how English is the hardest European language to learn because of all the broken rules, and I can see that being true because of this.
On a side note of my fast typing and misspelling, I type very fast, however I notice when I misspell a word, and then I try to correct it. So all these new typing tests that expect you to continue on and not correct your errors annoy me… my mind tells me “Fix that error” so I will actually hit the backspace key 5-6 times every error and it’s like that’s 5-6 more errors tacked on my already error! End up with a lower score than if they had just let me correct my darn errors! LOL
English “breaks” so many rules because we adopt words from other languages and use the rules the parent language for spelling and pronunciation ( more or less - until we Americanize it ).
I’m not saying its right or wrong, its what we do.
What about their?
Marina, there is a dead link in your youtube channel, Favorites, you may or may not want to replace it with this hfw r s. I don’t know why she took the other one down, I thought it was very good.
BillyB it could be because of these words “This video may not be suitable for minors.” Is written across the top of one of her videos. Someone flagged her video as inappropriate for a shadow being on her right breast and looking like a nipple. Shameful someone did that to her. I guess Marina is just being safe with the flagging issue. So someone want flag her videos as inappropriate.
How did the phase..
“More than one way to skin a cat”
come about?
Even as interesting as the silent “K”, is when the k isn’t there but it is pronounced. I remember playing a welsh rugby team from Llanelli. I don’t care about his subject but Clive in the video pronounces the double L’s with a K sound… more so in the second double L’s, but sometimes just as much in the first two. Anybody know any other words or english accents where the “K” sound is made by unusual combos of letters or just shows up randomly? I had a shirt with the name “Llanelli” emblazened on it from the friendly we played all those years ago & the way Marina tried to pronounce the nonsilent “k” words reminded me of the way I used to try to say it.
Here goes my homework:
knee, kneel, knelt, know, knew, known, knowledge, knot! More for sure!
Extra:
Psyche, Psychology where the silent letters are “h, e” and “h”!
Nice bright shirt Marina!!
Ooo, good ones
Request: Speaking of psyche and psychology, Marina, when did psyc- go from being a “feelgood” sort of term to having such negative meanings? Psyche is like the spirit, the mind or self.
Psychology is like the study of that, along with the interplay between thoughts, feelings, behaviors. BUT psychosis, psychopath (aka, psycho), psychopathology, psychosomatic, psychotic, psychedelic, psycheism, etc. took on a lot of negative meanings. Fast forward through the years to the 1980’s slang to “psych out” someone is to trick them.
I suspect that the shift in meaning occurred when psychologists came into the picture and labeled everything they didn’t understand as a “psychological problem.” The first true documented psychologists were physiological researchers, whereas practitioners were medical doctors–both emerged in the mid-late 1800s). Do you have any other insight into the shift from negative meanings of all things psyche and psych- ?
Miss Marina,
Why do soooooooooooo many people confuse the word ignorant (lacking knowledge or unaware) with stupid (lacking intelligence/ common sense).
Just wondering. It bugs me when people do this.. Kind of when people say Warshington or warsh the dishes instead of Washington or wash the dishes.
Actually only ignorant AND stupid people do that.
knuckle
Knute Rocney
Aexception to the silent “k” is knuble worst (garlic sausage)
BiLL
I would like to request two phrases that I thought I knew the origin of. These phrases are:
“Son-of-a-gun”, and
“beat the rush”
I thought that both of these words have nautical origins (Royal navy and US Coast Guard), but a website that I recently visited said differently, but they were not definitive.
Thank you
FYI -
The website that I visit is “Phrase Finder at the following:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html
Thanks
What I was told in the Navy was that MANY years ago women were allowed on the ships AT SEA. When one became pregnant and gave birth the father was sometimes indeterminant. Child birth usually occured next to the ships guns - son of a gun.
kickapoo
joyjuice
Lake Kickapoo
Hellow-My first time hear.
Try the word
“FLIBBERTIGIBBET”
welcome to the site
Gnat, gnome, gnarl, pneumonia, pneumatic…and by the way, you looked kvery knice today in you kyellow ksweater.
hey marina
may i ask for a word?
impropability-proof!
found it at the start of the eleventh chapter of douglas adams - ultimate hitchhikers guide of the galaxy
as in an impropability-proof room within the spaceship called “heart of gold”
by the way i don’t believe in the ideoligy in words such as ; perfection; normal; standards..,
another Douglas Adams word:.. floopily
from So Long, and thanks for all the Fish!
after i played knickknack-paddywack on my knees (and gave my dog a bone), i knealt on my kneecaps, and drooled over the knishes & knackwurst on the nearby table. being lazy, i got out my trusty knitting needle & skewered a knackwurst; then i used my knife to half it. beginning to feel knackered kneeling on my knees, i felt a stich in back - it began to knit. “gawd, what i wouldn’t give for a good kneading,” i thought, “i’ve got knots. if only a masseuse would turn the knurled knob on the door; i know i’d be her knave.” suddenly there was a knock. my knuckles were white, i was so nervous. “’tis not a knave i crave,” said the sunny-blond beauty, “but a knight.”
annudder
that was mighty good!
i agree with dustin535. what is the origen of the words “sex” and “sexy”???
Q: What’s the last think that goes through a Gnat’s mind as it rendeZvous with your windshield at 70 mph?
A: Its asshole!
OOps! I meant to ask “What’s the last THING that goes through a Gnat’s mind” although I guess “think” also kinda works in a twisted nonsensical sort of way…duhhh.
We all knew what you were saying. Whhhhhaaaaassssuuuppp my friend.
Hey Marina! I ate at a well know fast food restaurant the other day and I got to wondering. Whats the origin of Jack In-the-box (not the restaurant) the word. Who is this Jack anyway, and why is he in a box?
I wonder if it has anything to do with the ‘POP goes the weasle” song played when you turn the crank.
Marina,
This site has you recognised as a film star.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2984081/
wow thats new.
Jack
Do you think that Marina would care if you added to that site?
Pictures etc.
I am trying to get urban dic to except her but they are being difficult.
Yeh, add the k-nife pic. from this vid. or the p-istol packing princess pic. from the spillybeans vid. they won’t k-now the difference.
RRR, Thats something I have no control over. Your better off asking the professor. If I did I would have still have her approve it anyways.
::REQUEST::
Where did the saying “Get of your high horse come from”
Also Kudos of such a nice site !
Wait ! Or how about the word Kudos, Where does that come from lol
Hi FP, I left you a comment on your YouTube site about needing a fireman. Great site you have there. Keep up the good work. Welcome to Marina’s site. We joke we kid and have a good time. All in fun. If you need any help be sure to look up Captain Jack he is the Teacher’s Assistant or just anyone, most of the regulars will help you.
Hey capy!! Thanks for the message on YT.
Thanks !
Yay! Im best friend in the Navy used to pronounce Ka-nife all the time. Is other favorite word to play with was Comb. The ‘b’ being silent.
I was looking for the clip that George Carlin covered those words but to no avail. So here are some fun clips to watch for the mean time.
George Carlin - “Words” - 1976
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVzT1Xtw2Us
George Carlin - Euphemisms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HAGc521SAo
Hey captain!! I saw your post a few down about almost making a hill racer. Check this out, you’ll love it!
Holy sh*T!!!
that was nucking futs!
I’m adding this one to the bucket list!
OMG that was more fun to watch than sex! I was getting into the grove. I was air driving there for a moment. I the racing blood still runs through my veins. I wanted to buy a $50k Supra and trick it out. Oh I got to stop talking about this. Im getting the bug again.
Who’s faster?
Wow, that guy could really go! I loved the lunge move at “the reach” section. I’ve done that route (Bear’s Reach @Lovers Leap) but it was quite a bit different. I brought a partner, a 50-meter rope, and and a full set of hardware so we could still joke about it later around the campfire if one of us were to slip and fall. I got tagged by a falling rock during the second pitch, and my ears rang for a half hour (it left a permanent impression in my helmet but I was fine). It took us about 2 and a half hours. Putting in anchors and taking them out again as the second person ascends takes a bit of time to do safely, plus we stopped for lunch on “Bushy Ledge,” which, btw, has no bushes anymore. We used to call guys who free solo stuff like that “life-haters.” One free-soloist I spoke with remarked,”I prefer the freedom of not having all that metal and rope to deal with.”
Yeah, I thought to myself, plus, you hardly EVER fall (only once)!
Now this is what I am talking about !!! Very Nice Marina, YOU look marvelous
Sweats are for
I looked at the video again and damn yellow is your color
Hey Marina!
Loved your explanation of the silent K..My name is Scott Knauer and I’ve recently started pronouncing the K again after being chided by my German kayaker friends…which brings me to 3 more words for your consideration: Kayak (which is a palindrome) cenotaph, and my favorite- Triskidecaphobia, which is more prevalent than one might think…actually, the word ‘palindrome’ is kinda cool too…
Take a wild guess what brand of car the president of the International Palindrome Association drives.
Give up?
A Toyota!
Toyotas are the best car on the market. You can drive them 200,000 and they are just getting broken in. My dad’s truck had 200k and it was like new still. My Celica GT was my favorite car. I paid like $800 bucks for it from a guy in Long Beach, Ca. I moved to Washington and used it for about 12 years before I sold it for a new business I opened. I almost converted it to a race car for uphill racing.
Toyotas are great
Yep..i got ‘a Toyota’ truck….but it’s not a ‘racecar’ by any means!
Okay, you are all correct in the observation that Toyotas are some of the most dependable and maintenance-free cars ever made, and I’m in complete agreement since my 1983 Toyota pickup went over 360,000 miles on its original motor, my second one did 280,000 before blowing a head gasket (still have it, just can’t afford to fix it right now), and I drive a ‘92 Corolla (also ever faithful!). But that wasn’t what I was trying to say…. The point is that the phrase “A Toyota” is a palindrome.
I hope you like western’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIew2cksMv8
I always liked this song for its palindromes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nej4xJe4Tdg
can you please do the orgin and define the word Autoerotic Asphyxiation please and thanks
I was wonderin a plzzz do this as a youtube show, wat the word gullible meant and i love ur show keep up the gud work
Xerox illustrates two ways of pronouncing the letter X, so when I hear some people say “buzzum” and others saying “bucksum” when pronouncing the word buxom, I wonder which is correct?
Perhaps you can investigate?
x for teacher x
Oh my, such a bright yellow sweater.
Like staring into the sun.
Can’t see what my hands are doing.
Humm, odd shape for pillows, whoops sorry (smack!!)
Cookoo Cookoo, Sunny Days, Everything’s AOK, Hey look it’s the Sun on the Tele Tubbies.
Yellow sweater and yellow hair.
Our teacher is so pretty and fair.
Coming around
, Oh Hi Marina, What’s with the hand marks on your sweater? 
Dear Marina, I’ll go to YouTube to rate your video five stars. I’m thankful most homework was done by others. I could add the word, “gnome.” What a dramatic photo of a beautiful blonde in a box holding a “Kukri” knife, which was used by Gurka and Indian soldiers. I hope she’s actually more friendly than she appears.
Your dear student, Seesixcm6
I made a word request for “Sweetheart”, but you are very busy, so I looked it up for myself. According to Dictionary.com, it’s from Middle English term “swete heart” used in 1250 to 1300 AD to mean a fast-beating heart. It was later changed to “sweet heart.” Now, accoeding to the Oxford English Dictionary, it has the meaning of the person with whom you have a romantic relationship, an affectionate or familiar term of address, a beloved person, a genorous sponsor, or anything that arouses affection. In 1910, the song, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” was written. In 1911, “Sweethart of Sigma Chi” was written, and in 1998, Mariah Carey did a song called “Sweetheart.” BTW, August 23rd is “Hug your Sweetheart Day.” I’ll remember to send you a long-distance “hug.”
the origen of “sex” and “sexy”
think u can find the origin of the word mama mia? like the movie that came out a few weeks ago…o and can u tell me what type of software you use to make that awesome beginning of your videos do u use adobe after affects?
Marina i want to know when the word gay started to be homosexual
She mentiones it here, it starts at like 5 minutes orso.
wergild
sCience
Marina, let me check my knapsack, maybe I have something in there…
Knope, knothing…
Marina, knice sweater. Cashmere? Someone told me that you have big knockers on your front doors, and nice knobs too. Can you please show them to us?
Now for the homework - words with silent “K”? Well, you certainly have a knack for words. I don’t know what I could possibly add to that…
how about the ‘E’ in shoppe
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/five-spelling-rule s-for-silent-final-e/
while speaking of old english what is the difference between an english bulldog and an olde english bulldog and how and who made bull and terrier that is now extinct and a staffordshire bull terrier and a regular bull terrier also i havn’t seen gucci in a while he is a beutifull dog and you look amazing standing next to him is he your dog or a stand in for some of your photo shoot’s any how i would like to see him in a video with you pretty please
I went to a cabaret, and sat there so long that my arse went numb, so I went a ballet, and and hitched with my thumb, and ate sorbet, with a crumb. Pneumonia has made me dumb as a gnome. Wow I am bored! Excuse me while I go get a life. I am turning into capman. Just kidding cap.
Hey G. I thought it was just great.
I couldn’t put a poem together with words like that if I wanted to. See your a poet and don’t know it. 
Ps payback is hell har har har
My next poem is going to be about Marina. Maybe
I had an urge to write a poem but it has faded so. I guess work is creeping up on me and just too busy to think about poetry. I hope I get back into the mood again.
Maybe give it the Adam Sandler treatment.
How many words rhyme with Marina?
patina,
ocarina,
Macarena (Hey!)
Macadamia?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjOePNFRFRU
xenoplankton, xenon, xenotransplantation, xerography,
Often wondered about laughter and slaughter and P’s in pneumonia, psychology, etc.