Silent B Words
Is your little one learning B words for kids? Along with words starting with B, help your little ones learn about silent B words. Learning about these words with a silent B in them is important to boost your child’s reading, writing, and language skills.
There are few words where the letter b is silent while pronouncing. In such cases, you need to make sure that kids get acquainted with these words easily. Silent B words are the words where the letter b will be visible but cannot hear the sound while pronouncing the word. Apart from other words for kids, it’s very important to teach them silent B words for better understanding and communication.
Explore Silent B Words
Learning silent B words will help kids not only become aware of the new vocabulary words but also know how to use them. Kids will be able to use the words in making meaningful sentences. Here is a list of silent B words along with their meanings given below.
List Of Silent B Words
| Comb | /kəʊm/ | A metallic, wooden or plastic tool with a row of teeth used to untangle and arrange hair |
| Dumb | /dʌm/ | unable to speak |
| Lamb | /læm/ | sheep’s young one |
| Climb | /klaɪm/ | ascend or go up |
| Tomb | /tuːm/ | a large underground vault where dead bodies are buried |
| Thumb | /θʌm/ | the first, short and thick finger on a hand |
| Crumb | /krʌm/ | a very small piece of bread, cake or a cookie |
| Limb | /lɪm/ | an arm or leg of a person or animal |
| Numb | /nʌm/ | without the power of feeling or any sensation |
| Plumber | /ˈplʌmər/ | a person whose job it is to fix pipes, bathrooms, toilets etc |
| Debt | /dɛt/ | owing money |
| Doubt | /daʊt/ | uncertainty or fear |
| Subtle | /ˈsʌtəl/ | hard to notice or grasp |
| Succumb | /səˈkʌm/ | Give in or yield to pressure, temptation or any negative force |
| Honeycomb | /ˈhʌnɪkəʊm/ | A structure made of tiny hexagonal cells by bees to store honey and eggs |
Why Is The Letter B Not Pronounced In Silent B Words?
Before you teach these silent B words for kids, explain why the letter B is silent in these words. Though you can clearly see it, the letter B is silent in two situations such as when the word ends with mb or when the ends with bt.
Most words that end with mb or bt have different origins. For example, bomb was derived from the Italian word bomba and the tomb is of Greek origin. The B in bomba is pronounced. As the English language evolved with time, the pronunciation of several words changed. The B sound in such words was considered clumsy and was dropped, but the spelling remained unchanged.
Activities That Help In Learning Silent B Words
Here are some fun activities to help kids revise and practice words with a silent B.
- Puzzles: Kids love word games like puzzles. Not only will they have fun, but this activity also helps them revise their lesson on silent B words. Give your little one word puzzles like crossword puzzles and word search puzzles for kids to learn words with a silent B.
- Fill In The Blanks To Revise Silent B Words: Fill in the blanks is one of the easiest activities to help kids revise silent B words. Once your kids have learnt the words from the list above, test their knowledge with some simple fill in the blanks exercises. This is one of the best activities to help kids learn how to spell the words accurately too. Here are some fill in the blanks exercises to help your little ones practice words with a silent B in them.
- D __ U __ T
- L __ M __
- T H __ M __
- C __ I M __
- D __ B __
Check Osmo for more activities, games and worksheets to aid in your kids learning. Also, explore letter b worksheets and letter b coloring pages.
Frequently Asked Questions on Silent B Words
Why kids should learn silent B words?
Silent B words will help in improving a child’s vocabulary and language skills. Learning to identify and pronouncing these words will help children to read, write and speak fluently.
Why is the letter B silent in some words?
The letter B is not pronounced in some words even though it occurs in words. B is silent when the word ends with mb and when the word ends with bt. For example, doubt, subtle debt, etc. The letter B was pronounced in these words earlier. But as the English language evolved the B sound was considered clumsy in these words and was dropped. So, the letter B became silent in these words though the spelling remained unchanged.