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Why is There an R in The Title "Mrs"?
Why is There an R in "Mrs" When It's Pronounced "Misses"?
Why Are There Silent Letters In English Words?
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Key Facts In This Video
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Around 60% of English words contain a silent letter. 00:10
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Exocentric letters make sounds unlike the sound of the letter—like the "th" in "then." 00:42
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In the Middle Ages, the "k" and the "gh" were pronounced in the word "knight." 01:28
Why Does Q (Almost) Always Go With U?
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Key Facts In This Video
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Before the Norman Invasion of 1066, English didn't even have a Q. English spelled the sound with a "cw." 00:18
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French people later stopped pronouncing the "u" in "qu," but their spelling never caught up. 00:39
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The Phoencian ancestor of Q didn't sound like "K." It was a consonant formed in the back of the throat, like one in Arabic. This is why words like "Qatar" and "Iraq" don't have a "u". 01:48
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