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What is a silent K word?

The letter ⟨k⟩ is normally silent (i.e. it does not reflect any sound) when it precedes an ⟨n⟩ at the beginning of a word, as in “knife”, and sometimes by extension in other positions.

en.wikipedia.org - Silent k and g - Wikipedia
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In English orthography, the letter ⟨k⟩ normally reflects the pronunciation of [k] and the letter ⟨g⟩ normally is pronounced /ɡ/ or "hard" ⟨g⟩, as in goose, gargoyle and game; /d͡ʒ/ or "soft" ⟨g⟩, generally before ⟨i⟩ or ⟨e⟩, as in giant, ginger and geology; or /ʒ/ in some words of French origin, such as rouge, beige and genre. However, silent ⟨k⟩ and ⟨g⟩ occur because of apheresis, the dropping of the initial sound of a word.[1] These sounds used to be pronounced in Old and Middle English.

Silent (k) [ edit ]

The letter ⟨k⟩ is normally silent (i.e. it does not reflect any sound) when it precedes an ⟨n⟩ at the beginning of a word, as in “knife”, and sometimes by extension in other positions. Exceptions include the town of Knoebels Grove ( kə-NOH-bəlz) located in Pennsylvania in the United States, the Germanic surname Knaus(s) ( kə-NOWSS) used by NASCAR crew chief Chad Knaus and former First Lady Melania (Knauss) Trump and also words of foreign origin such as Knesset, the name of the Israeli Parliament, etc.

Silent (g) [ edit ]

While not as common, the letter ⟨g⟩ is also usually silent (i.e. it does not reflect any sound) when preceding an ⟨n⟩ at the beginning or end of a word, as in “gnat”, “campaign” and “design”. In some words borrowed from Romance languages, it may appear within a word, as in “champagne”, where it originally denoted the phoneme ŋ. An exception is the acronym GNU. In addition, the digraph ⟨gh⟩, in the dominant dialects of Modern English, is almost always either silent (as in “bough”, “thorough”, “furlough”, “night” or "weight") or pronounced /f/ (as in “tough”, “enough“ or “laugh”). It is also occasionally pronounced [ə], such as in Edinburgh. When ⟨gh⟩ occurs at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced hard (/ɡ/) as in “ghost” and “ghetto". In a few words of Greek origin, the digraph ⟨gm⟩ is pronounced /m/, with the (g) being silent, such as in “phlegm”, “paradigm” and "diaphragm".

Etymology [ edit ]

The ⟨kn⟩ and ⟨gn⟩ letter combinations usually indicate a Germanic origin of the word. In Old English, ⟨k⟩ and ⟨g⟩ were not silent when preceding ⟨n⟩. Cognates in other Germanic languages show that the ⟨k⟩ was probably a voiceless velar plosive in Proto-Germanic. For example, the initial ⟨k⟩ is not silent in words such as German Knecht which is a cognate of knight, Knoten which is a cognate of knot, etc.

Examples [ edit ]

Following is a list of words that include a silent ⟨k⟩ or ⟨g⟩. Plural nouns, as well as compound nouns derived from and containing simple nouns in the list, are ignored. For verbs, only the infinitive form of the verb is given, not any conjugations or derived verbs:

⟨kn⟩ [ edit ] Nouns [ edit ] knack

knacker

knackwurst

knag

knapsack

knapweed

knar

knave

knawel

knee

kneel

knell

knickerbockers

knickers

knickknack

knife

knight

knob

knock

knoll

knop

knosp

knot

knout

knowledge

knuckle

knur

knurl Verbs [ edit ] beknave

knap

knead

knee

kneel

knell

knight

knit

knock

knot

know

knurl Others [ edit ] knackered

knaggy

knavish

knotty

known

knurly

tightknit

unbeknown

antiknock

⟨gn⟩ [ edit ] align

benign

campaign

design

gnar

gnarl

gnarr

gnash

gnat

gnathic

gnathite

gnaw

gneiss

gnome

gnomon

gnosis

gnostic

gnotobiotics

gnu (animal name)

reign

sign

See also [ edit ]

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Is small nose attractive in men?

An overly small nose or pointy nasal tip usually never looks good for a male of any ethnicity. I think straightening and making any irregularities appear smoother makes any nose look more attractive. Also, one must consider other features of the face (from different perspectives) such as the brows, chin, and ears.

Question: "With female rhinoplasty, it seems that a lot of looks can be attractive. I've seen girls considered attractive who either have rounded noses, sharp noses, or generally everything in between. With males though, it seems there's much more a 'make or break' thing going on. I rarely see a male with a rounded, chubby nose who would be considered 'facially-attractive', where as I think a male with a more shaped, structured nose gives a look of attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence. Do you agree that this is usually one of the good reasons for males to have rhinoplasty, if they have a shapeless nose?" Answer: "I do think there is variety in what is an attractive male nose. Oftentimes, this will also depend on the ethnicity of the patient. In some cultures, a bump conveys a sense of virility (e.g. a roman nose), while in others a straight bridge is preferred. An overly small nose or pointy nasal tip usually never looks good for a male of any ethnicity. I think straightening and making any irregularities appear smoother makes any nose look more attractive. Also, one must consider other features of the face (from different perspectives) such as the brows, chin, and ears. It is so great that in that day and age we have computer morphing technology to help guide our choice...I'm not sure how they ever managed without it!" Dr. Anand Patel specializes in procedures of the face and neck, with a philosophy of natural and long-lasting rejuvenation. Browse our male rhinoplasty gallery to see before & after images of masculine noses Dr. Patel has reshaped. To learn more about rhinoplasty, click here.

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