Is there any Word in English starts with Silent "N" ?

This is of African origin, but it is now a word in English dictionaries, like zebra. Nyala, an African antelope, Tragelaphus angasii. The dictionary gives the pronunciation with an audible "n", but I believe a more authentic pronunciation is closer to "(n)yala," with the "n" almost silent, or at least "swallowed".

Your challenger is correct, no word in English begins with the letter n, although several end with it (column, solemn, etc.,)

Hi

It depends what you mean by silent - and what you mean by the sound of 'n'

You could argue that, in English, the consonant 'n' sound is made with the tongue against the upper teeth and that it is not there when you pronounce words like ngultrum and ngwee. Here, the initial sound is nasal and starts from the back of the throat so it is not a letter 'n'. The 'n' is silent

Thanks for your Reply I think you are right

But my Challevger says there is a word starts with Silent "N"

and I

Hi

I found Ndebele but it starts with /uhn/ - rather like my examples that start with /un'gh/

So again it comes down to what you count as "starting with the letter n". Is the 'n' silent, or is it just being pronounced in a different way?

I'd really like to know if there is an example that's different!

Dave

'Nth' is pronounced starting wih '[e]'.

None of these words are English words, they're all foreign words which can be used in an English context.

Hi

Fair enough

What then is the English word for the coin that represents 1/100th of a Zambian kwacha?

I would humbly suggest that it is ngwee, but I'm happy to consider a different word

Dave

By what I came across, if N is succeeded by a vowel, then we have to pronounce N, whereas if a consonant succeeds N, like as in 'Ngarrindjeri people of Australia' there N is silent...