Words With A Silent B (9 Silent B Word Examples)
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Words With A Silent B (9 Silent B Word Examples)
Mispronouncing words with a silent B can destroy your credibility when speaking English. Listeners will immediately put you in the beginner to intermediate level. Learn these 9 examples of when not to pronounce a B and get closer to sounding like a native speaker.
Slide 1:
Hello, I’m David James.
Slide 2:
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Slide 3:
Let’s look at words with a silent b.
Slide 4:
Why do some English words use a silent b?
The answer is found in the grammatical rules of Old English and the Latin, French, and Germanic origins of many words. Over time, the letter ‘b’ was kept in the spelling but the pronunciation was lost.
Slide 5:
Here are some common words that are spelled with a ‘b’ but not pronounced with a ‘b’.
Slide 6:
climb: to move upward, usually using the hands and feet
Here is an example.
Slide 7:
The picture shows a climber holding on to the mountain face with his hands.
The sentence example reads:
This was the most difficult mountain he had every tried to climb.
Slide 8:
plumber: a person who installs and maintains pipes for water, sanitation and heating
Slide 9:
The next picture shows a plumber under a bathroom sink repairing a leak.
The sentence example reads:
Fortunately the plumber came immediately and fixed the leak in the bathroom sink.
Slide 10:
crumb: a small piece of a baked item such as cake, bread, or a biscuit
Slide 11:
The picture shows a knife on a plate with just a few crumbs left.
The sentence example reads:
There were only a few crumbs left on the plate.
Slide 12:
thumb: the short, thick, first digit of the human hand
Slide 13:
The picture shows a woman’s hand with a ring on her thumb.
The sentence example reads:
She liked to wear a ring on her thumb.
Slide 14:
doubt: to be uncertain, undecided
Slide 15:
In the picture we see a girl waiting outside some buildings for her friend.
The sentence example reads:
She began to doubt whether her friend was going to come.
Slide 16:
numb: no sense of feeling
Slide 17:
The picture shows a girl standing in the snow.
The sentence example reads:
It was so cold her fingers were numb.
Slide 18:
debt: something that is owed e.g. money, goods, services
Slide 19:
The picture shows a woman with a laptop computer shopping online.
The sentence example reads:
A credit card makes it very easy to get into debt.
Slide 20:
bomb: an explosive device
Slide 21:
The picture shows a mushroom cloud after an atomic explosion.
The sentence example reads:
This picture was taken just after an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, on August 9, 1945.
Slide 22:
womb: a place where something is generated and protected
Slide 23:
In the picture we see the hands of a man and woman holding the pregnant woman’s tummy.
The sentence example reads:
They could feel the baby kick inside the womb.
Slide 24:
Did you notice from the examples that when a ‘b’ follows an ‘m’, it is generally silent :
- climb
- plumber
- crumb
- thumb
- bomb
- womb
Also, when a ‘b’ appears before a ‘t’ it is generally silent:
- doubt
- debt
Slide 25:
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Slide 26:
This is David James helping you to speak English with Confidence. Be sure to signup for my free online course!
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See if you can add to this list of silent B words in English.
If you are concerned about accurate pronunciation, be sure to check this page:
How to Pronounce EXTRAORDINARY
Image Credits:
Slide 6 Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/6gRyj
Slide 8 Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/7YHqZQ
Slide 10 Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/9h2hPx
Slide 12 Free Use http://cdn.morguefile.com/imageData/public/files/a/ariadna/preview/fldr_2005_05_09/file0001182956556.jpg
Slide 14 Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/dkzgdq
Slide 16 Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/5QEVM3
Slide 18 Free Use marin | freedigitalphotos.net
Slide 20 Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/%E9%95%B7%E5%B4%8E%E5%B8%82#/media/File:Nagasakibomb.jpg
Slide 22 Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/aq7wZv
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
