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Question

Difficulty: MediumSilent Letters

Pair each word with the specific silent consonant letter contained within its standard Received Pronunciation.

  • psalmSilent letter 'p'
  • fastenSilent letter 't'
  • hymnSilent letter 'n'
  • knackSilent letter 'k'

Answer

'psalm' matches with Silent letter 'p', 'fasten' matches with Silent letter 't', 'hymn' matches with Silent letter 'n', and 'knack' matches with Silent letter 'k'.
Each word pairs directly with its respective unarticulated consonant letter according to standard Received Pronunciation: 'psalm' has a silent 'p', 'fasten' has a silent 't', 'hymn' has a silent 'n', and 'knack' has a silent 'k'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic transcription of 'psalm'
The phonetic spelling is /sɑːm/, indicating that the initial 'p' is unpronounced.
Initial 'p' before 's' in words of Greek origin is typically silent.
2
Analyze the phonetic transcription of 'fasten'
The phonetic spelling is /ˈfɑːs.ən/, showing that 't' is omitted in articulation.
The letter 't' in the cluster '-sten' is unarticulated.
3
Analyze the phonetic transcription of 'hymn'
The phonetic spelling is /hɪm/, showing that final 'n' is not sounded.
The letter 'n' following 'm' at the end of a word root is silent.
4
Analyze the phonetic transcription of 'knack'
The phonetic spelling is /næk/, demonstrating that 'k' is omitted.
The letter 'k' preceding 'n' at the beginning of a word is silent.

Key Concept

Identification of unarticulated (silent) consonant letters in English phonology.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Silent Letters

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