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Somaa Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

K & W

1font00I want to know ... why that words starts with W or K we dont pronounce that letters ...02font05002br
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00For example: 01font00write, wrack, wraith ..02font02br
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01font00 knif. know, knowledge02font010id29
  

Top answer

0 It seems like whenever I have looked up the etymology of words with silent letters it almost always goes back to middle english or old english. (which are pretty much different languages that preceded modern english). It seems to me that these letters were actually pronounced at a certain point but aren't pronounced anymore.

— Asell

  • 0 It seems like whenever I have looked up the etymology of words with silent letters it almost always goes back to middle english or old english.
  • (which are pretty much different languages that preceded modern english).
  • It seems to me that these letters were actually pronounced at a certain point but aren't pronounced anymore.
  • 02br 02br 00Another thing that I've noticed with these spellings however is that to native speakers of the language even though the letters aren't pronounced, we mentally distinguish between the different spellings: wright ( One that constructs or repairs something) compared to right (correct, or a direction, and many other definitions).
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1 Answers
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0 It seems like whenever I have looked up the etymology of words with silent letters it almost always goes back to middle english or old english. (which are pretty much different languages that preceded modern english). It seems to me that these letters were actually pronounced at a certain point but aren't pronounced anymore. (I'm sorry I don't have a specific reference).02br
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