5 exercises on silent w, k and b in coding vocabulary.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
In "write" (as in "write to disk"), which letter is silent?
In write /raɪt/ the initial w is silent: it is pronounced exactly like "right" and "rite" — "RYTE". The "wr-" cluster at the start of a word always drops the w (compare "wrong", "wrap", "wrist", "wrench"). So "write to the database" sounds like "RYTE to the database", and "writer" is "RY-ter". Do not attempt a "wuh" sound at the start. This silent w is a fossil of Old English pronunciation that the spelling preserved but speech abandoned.
2 / 5
How is the "k" in "know" treated in modern pronunciation?
In know /nəʊ/ the initial k is silent: it is a homophone of "no" — just "NOH". The "kn-" cluster at the start of a word always drops the k (compare "knee", "knife", "knot", "knowledge", "knew"). So in tech speech "I know the bug" is "I NOH the bug", and "knowledge base" is "NOL-ij base". Do not pronounce a hard k ("kuh-now"). Like the silent w in "write", this is a historical spelling that no longer reflects how the word is said.
3 / 5
In "debt", which letter is silent?
In debt /det/ the b is silent: it is pronounced "DET", rhyming with "get" and "set". The b was inserted into the spelling centuries ago to echo the Latin debitum, but English never pronounced it. So "technical debt" — a very common software term — is "technical DET". The related word "debtor" /ˈdetə/ also keeps the b silent: "DET-er". Compare other silent-b words after m or before t: "doubt", "subtle", "thumb", "comb".
4 / 5
In "thumb" (as in thumbnail), which letter is silent?
In thumb /θʌm/ the final b is silent: it ends in an "m" sound, pronounced "THUM". The "-mb" cluster at the end of a word drops the b (compare "comb", "climb", "dumb", "limb", "bomb"). So "thumbnail" is "THUM-nail" and "thumbs up" is "THUMZ up". Note the word also opens with the voiceless /θ/ "th" sound (tongue near the teeth), so altogether it is /θʌm/. Do not add a "buh" at the end.
5 / 5
In "wrapper" (as in a function wrapper), how is the "w" pronounced?
In wrapper /ˈræpə/ the initial w is silent: it is said "RAP-er", identical in its first part to "rapper". The "wr-" cluster drops the w, exactly as in "write", "wrap" and "wrong". So "a wrapper function" is "a RAP-er function", and "wrap the call" is "RAP the call". The verb "wrap" /ræp/ and noun "wrapper" /ˈræpə/ both use the silent w. Avoid a "wuh-rapper" pronunciation — the word begins straight with the /r/ sound.