THE ONE LETTER THAT IS NEVER SILENT IN ENGLISH IS V/V.
Whether it’s making an appearance in fancy words like quiver, reverie, and vivid or showing up in old standbys like very and view, you can rest assured it always makes a sound.
And that’s uncommon! Even lesser-used letters like z and j are silent in words that we have adopted from foreign languages, such as marijuana (originally a Spanish word) and laissez-faire (from French).
It’s no secret that language has many confusing grammar rules, and the way we pronounce words is no exception. But here’s one you can bet on: While all other letters may take some planned time off from their acoustic duties occasionally, the letter v always shows up—loud and clear.
