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One common spelling error is omitting the K at the beginning of words where it is silent (example: nick-nack instead of knick-knack). The origins of silent K are difficult to pin down. What we do know is that the k wasn’t always silent, especially in words of Germanic origin. Just as it is in German, the k was actually pronounced and many of the words which now have silent k originally began with that distinctive clicking sound. My high school teacher made a point of this when teaching us Chaucer.
However, some time after the Chaucerian era, the k sound disappeared from the kn combination. There is speculation that it suddenly became hard to pronounce, and was just one of many linguistic changes after the Great Vowel Shift. I haven’t found any corroboration for this theory.
Here’s a partial list of words with a silent K. Feel free to add yours.
- knack
- knacker
- knapsack
- knave
- knead
- knee
- kneel
- knell
- knelt
- knew
- knick-knack
- knickers
- knife
- knight
- knit
- knob
- knock
- knoll
- knot
- know
- knowledge
- knuckle
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Good collection. Nothing more to add.
I’m not
thanks!
if you dont mind guys, i would like to see an explanation to the silent “ed” after regular verbs past tense, i’m still confused about that
In old English the letter c stood for two sounds: [k] as in come and [ch] as in church.
The word knock comes from OE cnossian “knock, pound.” The word knee comes from cneo, “knee.”
The cn spelling changed to kn under the influence of French spelling conventions brought in by the Normans.
Cn came to be written kn, but the pronunciation remained the same until the 17th century. That’s when the [k] stopped being pronounced. The spelling, however, had become fixed.
Talking about “silent” letters can be confusing. A better way (I think) to learn the spelling of words beginning with kn is to think of kn as a distinctive phonogram, simply an alternate spelling for the sound [n].
temp,
Have you read this post on the -ed spelling:
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/mind-your-eds/
I have one,
Knur: a hard excrescence (as on a tree trunk) : gnarl
Another three,
knout: a whip used for flogging ..
knops: a small decorative knob or boss..
knobby: having knobs on the surface, or shaped like a knob.
coming back.. :p
knock is on there twice.
While you’re at it, might as well change the second one to knockers, as in what.
(Think Mel Brooks.)
Thanks for the additions everyone, and for the additional info, Maeve.
There’s a chain of shops in the UK that sells doorknobs and door knockers.
It’s called Knobs and Knockers. I see a business venture for porn shops just next to these shops.
Ummm,is somebody here?
why, oh why do people insist on saying “work colleague” instead of the correct terminology “colleague”. As to insert the word “work” before hand is superfluous. This aberration is even occurring in the media, BBC and ITV have both been guilty lately.
are there any words starting with the silent-k that contains. oo,ee,th,ch,sh. thanx. please inform via email
There’s also “knap”, which means to chisel stone (esp. flint) to make tools or weapons. It can also refer to the crest of a hill. “Belas Knap” is a prehistoric burial chamber situated on a hill crest. I have even climbed up it and checked that.