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The Silent K

By Sharon

One common spelling error is omitting the K at the beginning of words where it is silent (example: nick-nack instead of knick-knack). The origins of silent K are difficult to pin down. What we do know is that the k wasn’t always silent, especially in words of Germanic origin. Just as it is in German, the k was actually pronounced and many of the words which now have silent k originally began with that distinctive clicking sound. My high school teacher made a point of this when teaching us Chaucer.

However, some time after the Chaucerian era, the k sound disappeared from the kn combination. There is speculation that it suddenly became hard to pronounce, and was just one of many linguistic changes after the Great Vowel Shift. I haven’t found any corroboration for this theory.

Here’s a partial list of words with a silent K. Feel free to add yours.

• knack
• knacker
• knapsack
• knave
• knead
• knee
• knob
• knock
• kneel
• knell
• knelt
• knew
• knick-knack
• knickers
• knife
• knight 
• knit
• knob
• knock
• knoll
• knot
• know
• knowledge
• knuckle

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Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on March 22, 2008 (boomark / email).