The letter combination gn is not silent in the English language.
# Gnu, pugnacious, ligneous, lignin, lignite, lignocaine, magnetic, magnanimous, magnificent, magnitude, magnolia, magnum, regnal, signature, signal, are a few examples of where they are not silent. # In align, gnash, gnarled, gnat, gnaw, gneiss, gnocchi, gnome, gnomon, gnostic, reign, sign, only the g of the gn is silent. For more information about silent letters in English words, see Related links below this box.
For an interesting discussion of English's many silent letters, see http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/grammar/archive/silentletters01.html. The author includes several links to other more specific sights.
Some words with the silent letter "gn" include "gnat," "gnaw," "gnome," and "gnarl."
The reason the letters "kn" are silent in English words is due to historical changes in pronunciation. The "k" used to be pronounced in words like "knight" and "knit" in Old English, but over time the pronunciation evolved and became silent. This is one of many examples of how the English language has undergone shifts in pronunciation throughout history.
The "g" in the word "sign" is silent because it follows the letter "i." In English, when "g" follows "i," it is usually silent. This pattern is seen in many other words as well, such as "gnat," "gnome," and "gnaw."
swan
Gnarl, gnash and gnat are words. They begin with the letters gn.
Pagnol is pronounced "Pahn-yohl" in French. The "g" sound is silent, and the emphasis is placed on the second syllable.
In English, a word starting with "gn" sounds the same as if the g wasn't there. But, the word gnome comes from the Greek genomos(geh-noe-moes)meaning "earth-dweller."
.gn was created in 1994.
Silent letter "t" in English words is typically found before "ch" (e.g. watch), "gn" (e.g. gnat), and "wr" (e.g. write). Additionally, silent letter "t" can also appear in some words derived from French origin (e.g. ballet).
The words that end with GN include align, sign, design, and malign, and also campaign, reign, and foreign.
gnat, wren, Gnu (Wildebeest) Wrench bird Wryneck (woodpecker)