If you grew up with Spanish spelling, English can feel like a trickster. Some words look straightforward but sound nothing like what you expect: aisle, they're, yacht, colonel, chaos, queue, recipe, subtle, Wednesday, choir. There isn’t a single rule that fixes these. They come from different languages (French, Greek, Dutch, etc.), carried their spelling into English, and then English changed the sounds over time. The result: spellings that don’t map cleanly to sound.
Here’s a curated list of the most commonly misread words by Spanish speakers specifically because of the way they’re spelled. For each one, you’ll see the usual Spanish-influenced guess, the correct pronunciation (broad, friendly IPA-ish hints), and a short reason why the spelling misleads you. Treat these like “sight words for pronunciation.” Memorize them. There’s no reliable pattern that will always save you here.
Tip: Don’t force Spanish sound rules onto English letters. Learn each word’s sound as a chunk. Say it out loud three times and use it in a sentence the same day.
Tiny word families to memorize
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Silent L:
- half → “hæf” (HAF): one of two equal parts.
- calf → “kæf” (KAF): a young cow.
- walk → “wɔːk” (WAWK): to move on foot.
- talk → “tɔːk” (TAWK): to speak or have a conversation.
- could → “kʊd” (KOOD): modal for possibility or past ability.
- would → “wʊd” (WOOD): modal for condition or habit in the past.
- should → “ʃʊd” (SHOOD): modal for advice or expectation.
- almond → “ˈɑːmənd/ˈæmənd” (AH-mənd/AM-ənd): an edible nut.
- salmon → “ˈsæmən” (SAM-ən): a type of fish.
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Silent B:
- subtle → “ˈsʌtəl” (SUH-tl): delicate or hard to notice.
- debt → “dɛt” (DET): money that is owed.
- doubt → “daʊt” (DOWT): uncertainty or lack of belief.
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Silent B after M:
- thumb → “θʌm” (THUM): the short, thick finger.
- climb → “klaɪm” (KLYME): to go up.
- dumb → “dʌm” (DUM): unable to speak; informal “not smart”.
- numb → “nʌm” (NUM): without feeling.
- bomb → “bɒm/bɑːm” (BOM): an explosive device.
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Silent W:
- sword → “sɔːrd” (SORD): a weapon with a long blade.
- answer → “ˈænsər” (AN-sər): a response to a question.
- two → “tuː” (TOO): the number 2.
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Silent H:
- honest → “ˈɒnɪst/ˈɑːnɪst” (HON-ist): truthful.
- honor/honour → “ˈɒnər/ˈɑːnər” (HON-er): respect or distinction.
- hour → “aʊər” (OW-er): 60 minutes.
- heir → “ɛər” (AIR): a person who inherits.
- herb (US) → “ɜːrb/ˈɝːb” (ERB): a plant used in cooking or medicine.
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Greek ch = k:
- chaos → “ˈkeɪɒs/ˈkeɪɑːs” (KAY-oss): complete disorder or confusion.
- school → “skuːl” (SKOOL): a place where people study.
- scheme → “skiːm” (SKEEM): a plan or system.
- ache → “eɪk” (AYK): a continuous, dull pain.
- chorus → “ˈkɔːrəs” (KOR-əs): a group of singers or the refrain of a song.
- echo → “ˈɛkoʊ” (EH-koh): a sound reflected back to the listener.
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Silent letters and traps:
- island → “ˈaɪlənd” (EYE-lənd): land surrounded by water.
- receipt → “rɪˈsiːt” (ri-SEET): proof of purchase.
- mortgage → “ˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ/ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ” (MOR-gij): a home loan.
- gauge → “ɡeɪdʒ” (GAYJ): to measure; a measuring device.
- leopard → “ˈlɛpərd” (LEP-erd): a large spotted cat.
- quay → “kiː” (KEY): a dock for ships.
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OUGH family:
- cough → “kɒf” (KOF): to expel air from the lungs with a short sound.
- rough → “rʌf” (RUFF): uneven or not smooth.
- through → “θruː” (THROO): from one side to the other.
- though → “ðoʊ” (THO): despite that; however.
- thought → “θɔːt” (THAWT): past of think; an idea.
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TH sounds:
- the → “ðə/ðiː” (THUH/THEE): the definite article.
- this → “ðɪs” (THIS): this thing here.
- they → “ðeɪ” (THAY): third‑person plural pronoun.
- three → “θriː” (THREE): the number 3.
- think → “θɪŋk” (THINK): to consider or have ideas.
- though → “ðoʊ” (THO): despite that; however.
- through → “θruː” (THROO): from one side to the other.
- thorough → “ˈθʌrə” (THUHR-uh): complete and detailed.
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Vowel surprises:
- women → “ˈwɪmɪn” (WIM-in): adult females (plural of woman).
- busy → “ˈbɪzi” (BIZ-ee): occupied; having much to do.
- business → “ˈbɪznəs” (BIZ-nəs): commerce; work activity.
- bury → “ˈbɛri/ˈbɜːri” (BEH-ree/BER-ee): to put in the ground.
- iron → “ˈaɪərn” (EYE-ern): a strong metal; also, to press clothes.
- blood → “blʌd” (BLUD): the red liquid in the body.
- flood → “flʌd” (FLUD): a large amount of water covering land.
- sew → “soʊ” (SO): to join with needle and thread.
- one → “wʌn” (WUN): the number 1.
- once → “wʌns” (WUNS): one time.
- says → “sɛz” (SEZ): third person singular of “say”.
- said → “sɛd” (SED): past tense of “say”.
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French-origin spellings:
- aisle → “aɪl” (like “isle”), silent s: a passage between rows.
- façade → “fəˈsɑːd” (fa-SAHD), ç = s, final e silent: the front of a building.
- recipe → “ˈrɛsɪpi” (RESS-i-pee), final e is not silent: instructions for cooking.
- queue → “kjuː” (KYOO): a line of people or things waiting.
- genre → “ˈʒɒnrə/ˈʒɑːnrə” (ZHAN-ruh): a category of art or literature.
- debut → “ˈdeɪbjuː/ˈdeɪbju” (day-BYOO): a first public appearance.
- bouquet → “buːˈkeɪ” (boo-KAY): a bunch of flowers.
- ballet → “bæˈleɪ” (ba-LAY): a style of dance.
- rendezvous → “ˈrɒndeɪvuː/ˈrɑːndeɪvuː” (RON-day-voo): a meeting.
- buffet → “buːˈfeɪ” (boo-FAY): a self-serve meal.
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Oddballs to memorize:
- yacht → “jɒt/jaːt” (like “yot”): a boat used for pleasure.
- colonel → “ˈkɜːrnəl/ˈkɝːnəl” (KUR-nel): a senior military rank.
- choir → “ˈkwaɪər” (KWAI-er). Note: “chorus” = KOR-əs. A group of singers.
- cupboard → “ˈkʌbərd” (KUB-ərd): a cabinet with shelves for storage.
- Wednesday → “ˈwɛnzdeɪ” (WENZ-day): the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday.
- chocolate → “ˈtʃɒklət/ˈtʃɑːklət” (CHOK-lət): a sweet food made from cocoa.
- comfortable → “ˈkʌmf(t)ərtəbəl” (KUMF-tər-tuh-bəl): providing physical ease.
- vegetable → “ˈvɛdʒtəbəl” (VEJ-tuh-bəl): an edible plant part eaten with meals.
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Tech and modern spellings:
- cache → “kæʃ” (CASH): stored data for quick access.
- segue → “ˈsɛɡweɪ” (SEG-way): a smooth transition.
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Contractions that hide sounds:
- they're → “ðeər” (like “there”). they + are
Why there’s no dependable rule
English spelling is a museum. Words entered at different times from French, Latin, Greek, Dutch, and Norse, then sound changes (like the Great Vowel Shift) bent the pronunciation while the spelling stayed put. Sometimes scholars “repaired” spellings to look more Latin (adding silent b in debt/doubt). That’s why patterns break. Any “rule” you learn will have exceptions.
How to actually memorize these
- Make tiny word families: group odd words by a shared quirk (silent l: half, walk, talk; Greek ch = k: school, chemistry, chaos; OUGH set: rough, though, through, thought). Review in clusters.
- Anchor with a vivid keyword: yacht → picture a “yacht” with a big letter Y painted on the sail.
- Say it in a short phrase the same day: “We’re there; they’re ready.” “Walk and talk.” “Through the rough thought.”
- Record yourself and compare. Spanish speakers often replace /ð/ and /θ/ with d/t. Catch it early.
- Add them to a spaced-repetition app. Five a day for two weeks beats one long session.
Quick practice: spot the trap
- How do you say “façade”? → fa-SAHD
- Which is correct: “queue” = KYOO or “KEE-oo-eh”? → KYOO
- “Women” rhyme with “limit” or “moment”? → “limit” (WIM-in)
- “Though” vs “through”: which one is THO? → “though”
Don’t wait for a magic rule. Learn these as exceptions you can trust. The win isn’t perfect phonetics: it’s being understood instantly.
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