Words with silent letters that trip up writers
As writers and editors (and PR Daily readers), most communicators are all above-average spellers.
You’re the one others call for spelling advice. You’re the one who correct what the spell-checker has mangled. You’re also the one who remembers the spelling rules you learned in second grade.
Yet, sometimes even you can get stumped and stunned by spelling. That’s how you spell that word?
For the incredulous among us, below are 23 words that trick even confident spellers with silent letters and other quirks.
1. Aplomb — self-confidence
2. Acquiesce — to give in
3. Apropos — appropriate
4. Awry — not as expected
5. Baguette — a long, narrow loaf of bread
6. Catarrh — inflammation of the nose and throat
7. Convalesce — to recover
8. Guillotine — a machine used to behead a person
9. Hemorrhage — to bleed profusely
10. Ophthalmology — the branch of medicine that treats the eye
11. Philatelist — a stamp collector
12. Phlegm — mucus
13. Pterodactyl — a flying reptile that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods
14. Quiche — an unsweetened pie made with eggs, cream
15. Queue — a line of waiting people or cars
16. Resuscitate — to revive or regain consciousness
17. Ricochet — to rebound or skip off a surface
18. Sherbet — a frozen dessert made with skim milk, sugar, and flavoring.
19. Supersede — to replace or set aside
20. Tchotchke — a trinket or decorative item of little value
21. Ukulele — a small, four-stringed guitar
22. Handkerchief — a small cloth used for wiping the nose or mouth
23. Mnemonic — a device or system used to assist the memory or aid in remembering
Are there any other words that trip you up?
This post was first published on Ragan Communication’s PR Daily.
