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Question

Difficulty: MediumSilent Letters

Which unpronounced consonant letters complete the phonetic analysis of the specified English words?

Answer:In the word *mortgage*, the unpronounced consonant letter is 【t】; in the word *doubt*, the silent consonant letter is 【b】; and in the word *playwright*, the silent consonant letter is 【w】.

Answer

The silent consonant letters are 't' for mortgage, 'b' for doubt, and 'w' for playwright.
In standard Received Pronunciation: the letter 't' in *mortgage* (/ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ/) is unarticulated, the letter 'b' in *doubt* (/daʊt/) is unpronounced, and the initial letter 'w' in '-wright' within *playwright* (/ˈpleɪraɪt/) is silent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the spoken transcription of the word *mortgage*.
The word *mortgage* is pronounced /ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ/, where the letter 't' is silent.
In standard English pronunciation, the consonant 't' in *mortgage* is not articulated.
2
Examine the spoken transcription of the word *doubt*.
The word *doubt* is pronounced /daʊt/, where the letter 'b' is silent.
The consonant letter 'b' occurring before 't' in *doubt* remains completely unarticulated.
3
Examine the spoken transcription of the word *playwright*.
The word *playwright* is pronounced /ˈpleɪraɪt/, where the letter 'w' in the suffix element '-wright' is silent.
The letter 'w' preceding 'r' in the morpheme 'wright' is unarticulated in Standard Received Pronunciation.

Key Concept

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

Silent Letters

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