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ESL forum > Ask for help > silent letters    

silent letters



Mouna mch
Algeria

silent letters
 
hello there,
 
I have a question:
 
are all doubled letters silent in English? for example:
 
pass-letter- spaghetti....etc
 
 

6 Nov 2010      





kodora
Greece

I think this link will help you a lot
http://www.phonicsontheweb.com/vowel-combinations.php
Have a nice weekend1
Dora

6 Nov 2010     



ldthemagicman
United Kingdom

Dear Mouna mch,
 
No!  They are not all silent.
 
�Zombiism � and  �vacuum � are a couple of examples of doubled letters which are sounded.
 
Below is a much longer list and many of the doubled letters, (particularly vowels), are sounded.  Several consonants are also sounded, �bookkeeper�, for example, is: �book-keeper�.
 
Technically speaking, a word such as �wholly� should be pronounced so that each of the occurrences of the letter �L� can be heard separately: �whole - lee�, but said very rapidly.
 
  • a: �aa, aardvark, aardwolf, aasvogel, baa, baal, baaskaap, balmacaan, bazaar, Canaan, craal, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, graal, haaf, haar, kamaaina, kraal, laager, laari, maar, markkaa, naan, praam, quaalude, rufiyaa, salaam, wadmaal
  • h: bathhouse, beachhead, fishhook, hashhead, highhanded, hitchhike, roughhewn, roughhouse, sleuthhound, touchhold, washhouse, withhold
  • i: aalii, alibiing, assagaiing, bacchii, biischial, chivariing, congii, coniing, denarii, filariid, foliiform, euphausiid, gastrocnemii, genii, incuvariid, medii, nauplii, obiism, piing, radii, reduviid, retiarii, safariing, sartorii, senarii, septenarii, sextarii, shanghaiing, shiitake, skiing, splenii, taxiing, teiid, tholeiite, torii, trapezii, triiodothyronines, zombiism [3]
  • k: bookkeeper, chukka, dekko, hokku, jackknife, knickknack, lockkeeper, markka, pukka, quokka, shikker, stockkeeper, sukkah, tikka, trekked, yakked, zikkurat
  • u: continuum, duumvir, menstruum, muumuu, residuum, squush, triduum, vacuum, weltanschauung
  • v: bevvy, bivvy, civvies, chivvy, divvy, flivver, navvy, revving, savvy, skivvy
  • w: arrowwood, arrowworm, bowwow, glowworm, hollowware, meadowwort, powwow, screwworm, strawweight, slowworm, wilowware, yellowworm, yellowwood
  •  
    However, generally speaking, the majority of doubled letters in English --- blabber; sadden; gaffer; sagging; yellow; stammer; fanning; happy; marry; lass; fatter; buzz ---  are not sounded separately.
     
    I hope that this helps.
     
    Les

    6 Nov 2010     



    dawnmain
    United Kingdom

    Fascinating Les - not you - your info   :D

    6 Nov 2010     



    mariamit
    Greece

    I think reading this may help you 

    6 Nov 2010