WORD LISTSThe Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent LettersSun Jun 22 22:03:23 EDT 2014
By Vocabulary.com (NY)
 The scourge of spellers, silent letters are often a stumbling block when learning how to write in English. To the modern eye, it's unclear what these letters are doing in the words in question, and learners sometimes simply have to memorize them. But the silent letters are very often hidden remnants of how the words passed through different languages on their way to English. Here are 20 words that prove that English spelling is far from rational
  
chthonic
Greek-derived words often feature tricky consonant clusters that don't get pronounced that way in English. This word (from Greek kthon, meaning "earth"), tends to lose its initial "k" sound and ends up sounding like thonic.
Sartre's chthonic allegory bears a striking resemblance, in fact, to the sort of living hell that many acne sufferers report experiencing on an everyday basis.
—Slate Apr 18, 2011
phlegm
The "g" sound was lost when Latin phlegma became Old French fleume. But the silent "g" still gets pronounced in variations on the word, such as phlegmatic, which means "showing little emotion."
Rarely a minute goes by during a game where you do not see a footballer depositing various levels of phlegm on the pitch.
—BBC Jun 26, 2014
pterodactyl
The first part of this word is from pteron, Greek for "feather" or "wing." The second part comes from daktylos meaning "finger."
Sportswriters, struggling to describe him, have compared him to capellini and a pterodactyl.
—New York Times Nov 8, 2012
muscle
It comes from Latin musculus, literally meaning "little mouse," but the "c" went silent when the word entered French.
Like a muscle, your decision-making ability is strengthened with consistent practice.
—Forbes (Jun 30, 2014)
mnemonic
The word is from the Greek mnemonikos, "pertaining to memory." The mn- consonant cluster proved too tricky in the languages that have borrowed the word and was simplified to an "n" sound.
In this science activity you'll try out a technique called mnemonics—a memory boosting strategy.
—Scientific American Dec 19, 2013
asthma
This word, dating from the late 14th century, used to be spelled as it is pronounced, asma. It was only in the 16th century that the "th" was reintroduced to the English spelling, to make it like the Latin and Greek spellings.
"However, some kids can't take the mist, namely those with compromised immune systems and kids with asthma, who could have a respiratory response," he said.
—US News Jun 26, 2014
apropos
From French, like rendezvous and faux below, where final consonants are often silent.
In fact, comparison to high tech is apropos because like the Internet, the shale boom is re-shaping the world.
—Forbes Aug 20, 2013
receipt
In the Anglo-French spoken by the Norman conquerors, the word was spelled receite. The spelling eventually changed in English to add a "p" (bringing it into line with the Latin root recepta), but the pronunciation stayed the same.
Of course, I have no pictures or even my rental agreement or receipt to dispute this.
—Seattle Times Jun 16, 2014
knead
This comes from the Old English verb cnedan and Middle English kneden. But like other kn- words like knight and know, the "k" went silent in Modern English.
He oiled himself with warm, peppered coconut oil, kneading his old, loose flesh that stretched willingly off his bones like chewing gum.
—The God of Small Things
honest
The root is Latin honestus, meaning "honorable," ultimately from honos, also the source of honor. And like honor, the initial "h" sound was lost in the French versions of the word on their way to English.
I have been open and honest since the beginning with my feelings and desires.
—Slate Jul 1, 2014
gnaw
This started out in Old English as gnagan. Just as kn- words from earlier eras of English lost their "k," gn- words were also simplified to the "n" sound.
Soon they got the furniture burning merrily, and Nailer cut slices of ham for them to gnaw on.
—Ship Breaker
subtle
Like receipt, this is what happens when you make the spelling imitate Latin but forget about the pronunciation. French had lost the "b" in Latin subtilis ("fine"), resulting in sotil, which was then remade to look (but not sound) like the Latin original.
Meanwhile, fMRI gathers information about the location of subtle changes in brain blood oxygenation.
—Scientific American Jul 1, 2014
solemn
As with phlegm above, the silent n in solemn gets pronounced in related words like solemnity.
Newt, all grim and solemn, was waiting for Thomas at the top of the stairwell.
—The Maze Runner
faux
In Old French, Latin falsus ("false") became fals or faus, eventually leading to faux with a silent "x."
The video is the epitome of male entitlement and an excellent example of faux apology.
—Time Jun 23, 2014
rendezvous
This is from the French phrase rendez vous, meaning "present yourselves." Following the French pronunciation, both the "z" and "s" go silent.
The ease and rapidity with which this meeting was set up made me suspect that the government might have planned this rendezvous ahead of time.
—Long Walk to Freedom
autumn
The "n" that is silent here gets pronounced in Autumnal.
Several typhoons a year strike Japan, but they usually develop later in the summer or in early autumn.
—The Guardian Jul 8, 2014
column
The silent "n" gets pronounced in Columnar.
His authority derived from the column of military vehicles that stood outside their headquarters, and from the cache of weapons his rebels had stored inside.
—Time July 6, 2014
condemn
The "n" is pronounced in Condemnation.
The right response is to get better at catching and resolving errors faster, not to condemn the system.
—Washington Post July 7, 2014
resign
The "n" gets pronounced in words like Resignation.
On July 4, delegates to the national meeting of the National Education Association called on Duncan to resign.
—Washington Post, July 7, 2014
bomb
Never did we dream that shortly the bombs would fall on a faraway harbor whose name struck a chill across our own small, landlocked Pearl.
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