English spelling doesn’t always tell you how a word sounds.
In these words, the b is silent:
- thumb, dumb, numb, crumb
- comb, bomb, climb, lamb
- debt, subtle, plumber
Try saying them aloud without pronouncing the B.
💡 Quick tip:
The B is often silent at the end of words ending in -mb, as in thumb and climb.
But don’t turn this into a universal rule. In number, for example, we pronounce the B.
