1.

chthonic
dwelling beneath the surface of the earth
Sartre's chthonic allegory bears a striking resemblance, in fact, to the sort of living hell that
many acne sufferers report experiencing on an everyday basis.
Slate Apr 18, 2011
Greek-derived words often feature tricky consonant clusters that don't get pronounced that way
in English. This word (from Greek kthon, meaning "earth"), tends to lose its initial "k" sound and
ends up sounding like thonic.
2. phlegm
saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages
Rarely a minute goes by during a game where you do not see a footballer depositing various
levels of phlegm on the pitch.
BBC Jun 26, 2014
The "g" sound was lost when Latin phlegma became Old French fleume. But the silent "g"
still gets pronounced in variations on the word, such as phlegmatic, which means "showing little
emotion."
3. pterodactyl
extinct flying reptile
Sportswriters, struggling to describe him, have compared him to capellini and a pterodactyl.
New York Times Nov 8, 2012
The first part of this word is from pteron, Greek for "feather" or "wing." The second part comes
from daktylos meaning "finger."
4. muscle
animal tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cells
Like a muscle, your decision-making ability is strengthened with consistent practice.
Forbes (Jun 30, 2014)
It comes from Latin musculus, literally meaning "little mouse," but the "c" went silent when the
word entered French.
5. mnemonic
of or relating to the practice of aiding the memory
In this science activity you'll try out a technique called mnemonicsa memory boosting
strategy.
Scientific American Dec 19, 2013
The word is from the Greek mnemonikos, "pertaining to memory." The mn-consonant cluster
proved too tricky in the languages that have borrowed the word and was simplified to an "n"
sound.
6. asthma
respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing
"However, some kids can't take the mist, namely those with compromised immune systems and
kids with asthma, who could have a respiratory response," he said.
US News Jun 26, 2014
This word, dating from the late 14th century, used to be spelled as it is pronounced, asma. It was
only in the 16th century that the "th" was reintroduced to the English spelling, to make it like the
Latin and Greek spellings.
7. apropos
of an appropriate or pertinent nature
In fact, comparison to high tech is apropos because like the Internet, the shale boom is reshaping the world.
Forbes Aug 20, 2013
From French, like rendezvous and faux below, where final consonants are often silent.
8. receipt
an acknowledgment that payment has been made
Of course, I have no pictures or even my rental agreement or receipt to dispute this.
Seattle Times Jun 16, 2014
In the Anglo-French spoken by the Norman conquerors, the word was spelledreceite. The spelling
eventually changed in English to add a "p" (bringing it into line with the Latin root recepta), but
the pronunciation stayed the same.
9. knead
manually manipulate, for medicinal or relaxation purposes
He oiled himself with warm, peppered coconut oil, kneading his old, loose flesh that stretched
willingly off his bones like chewing gum.
The God of Small Things

This comes from the Old English verb cnedan and Middle English kneden. But like
other kn- words like knight and know, the "k" went silent in Modern English.
10.honest
marked by truth
I have been open and honest since the beginning with my feelings and desires.
Slate Jul 1, 2014
The root is Latin honestus, meaning "honorable," ultimately from honos, also the source of honor.
And like honor, the initial "h" sound was lost in the French versions of the word on their way to
English.
11.gnaw
bite or chew on with the teeth
Soon they got the furniture burning merrily, and Nailer cut slices of ham for them to gnaw on.
Ship Breaker
This started out in Old English as gnagan. Just as kn- words from earlier eras of English lost their
"k," gn- words were also simplified to the "n" sound.
12.subtle
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
Meanwhile, fMRI gathers information about the location of subtle changes in brain blood
oxygenation.
Scientific American Jul 1, 2014
Like receipt, this is what happens when you make the spelling imitate Latin but forget about the
pronunciation. French had lost the "b" in Latin subtilis ("fine"), resulting in sotil, which was then
remade to look (but not sound) like the Latin original.
13.solemn
dignified and somber in manner or character
Newt, all grim and solemn, was waiting for Thomas at the top of the stairwell.
The Maze Runner
As with phlegm above, the silent n in solemn gets pronounced in related words like solemnity.
14.faux
not genuine or real
The video is the epitome of male entitlement and an excellent example offaux apology.
Time Jun 23, 2014
In Old French, Latin falsus ("false") became fals or faus, eventually leading tofaux with a silent
"x."
15.rendezvous
a meeting planned at a certain time and place
The ease and rapidity with which this meeting was set up made me suspect that the government
might have planned this rendezvous ahead of time.
Long Walk to Freedom
This is from the French phrase rendez vous, meaning "present yourselves." Following the French
pronunciation, both the "z" and "s" go silent.
16.autumn
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
Several typhoons a year strike Japan, but they usually develop later in the summer or in
early autumn.
The Guardian Jul 8, 2014
The "n" that is silent here gets pronounced in Autumnal.
17.column
a line of units following one after another
His authority derived from the column of military vehicles that stood outside their headquarters,
and from the cache of weapons his rebels had stored inside.
Time July 6, 2014
The silent "n" gets pronounced in Columnar.
18.bomb
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
Eight people have been injured in a bomb blast at a restaurant in the Tanzanian town of Arusha,
officials have said.
BBC July 8, 2014
The "b" is pronounced in words like Bombard.
19.condemn
express strong disapproval of

The right response is to get better at catching and resolving errors faster, not to condemn the
system.
Washington Post July 7, 2014
The "n" is pronounced in Condemnation.
20.resign
accept as inevitable

acquiesce
adieu
aesthetic
annihilate
apartheid
appliqu
asphalt
auxiliary
behaviour/behavior
bivouac
bouillon
bouquet
bourgeoisie
bureaucracy
caffeine
camouflage
cartilage
cataclysm
Celsius
chameleon
charisma
chartreuse
chateaux
chauffeur
chauvinism
coiffure
connoisseur
corduroy
cuisine
Czechoslovakia
dachshund
daiquiri
diarrhoea/diarrhea
ecstasy
embarrass
endeavour/endeav
or
etiquette
eulogy
euphoric
Fahrenheit
fatigue
fluorescent
foreign
forfeit
fuchsia
gaiety
guerrilla
haemorrhage/hem
orrhage
hallelujah
heifer

hierarchy
hors d'oeuvre
hygiene
jeopardise/jeopardi
ze
jodhpurs
khaki
lacquer
leisure
liaison
lieutenant
lightning
limousine
lingerie
liquor
luscious
maelstrom
mannequin
martyr
masquerade
masseuse
mastectomy
mayonnaise
medieval
mediocre
Mediterranean
memoir
meringue
millennium
minuscule
miscellaneous
mischievous
misspell
mnemonic
mosquito
naive
nasturtium
nauseous
neighbour/neighbo
r
ninety
noxious
nuisance
nutritious
oblique
odyssey
omelette/omelet
omniscience
orangutan
orchid
oscillate
ostrich

paradigm
parallel
pasteurise/pasteuri
ze
personnel
pharaoh
pharmaceutical
philosophical
phlegm
physician
physicist
physique
picturesque
pigeon
pilgrimage
plagiarise/plagiariz
e
plaque
plateau
poinsettia
porcelain
posthumous
potpourri
poultry
practitioner
prairie
precious
prejudice
prerogative
Presbyterian
prestigious
privilege
pronunciation
proprietary
pseudonym
ptarmigan
pumpkin
quadruple
questionnaire
quiche
quotient
rapport
reconnaissance
rehearsal
reminiscent
renaissance
rendezvous
renown
repertoire
requiem
reservoir
rhetoric

rhinoceros
rhubarb
rhythm
ricochet
saboteur
sacrilegious
samurai
schizophrenic
scythe
seismology
seizure
sergeant
sherbet
silhouette
sleuth
somersault
sovereign
stalactite
subterfuge
succinct
superfluous
surgeon
surveillance
susceptible
syllabus
symmetric
synagogue
synonymous
syringe
tableau
tarpaulin
technique
therapeutic
tongue
tortoise
tournament
transcend
troubadour
turquoise
twelfth
vacuum
vaudeville
vengeance
vermouth
veterinarian
vigilante
Wednesday
wholly
zephyr
zucchini