In some Russian words, certain consonants are written but not pronounced. For instance, ‘солнце’ is pronounced like ‘со[нц]е’ (the ‘л’ is dropped). Similarly, ‘известный’ sounds like ‘изве[сн]ый’ (the ‘т’ is silent).
- солнце (со[нц]е)
- гигантский (гига[нс]кий / гига[нц]кий)
- известный (изве[сн]ый)
- крестник (кре[с’н’]ик)
- ненастный (нена[сн]ый)
💡 Note: An apostrophe (ʼ) after a consonant — like [сʼ] or [нʼ] — shows that the sound is soft (palatalised).
In these situations, looking at a related word where the consonant is clearly pronounced — such as ‘солнечный’ for ‘солнце’ — can guide you in spelling. Simply put, if the consonant is pronounced in a cognate, it should appear in the word you’re unsure about.
- солнце → солнечный
- гигантский → гигант
- известный → известен (short form of the adjective), известие
- крестник → крестить
- ненастный → ненастен (short form of the adjective), ненастье
This approach can improve both your Russian pronunciation and spelling skills.
🔎 You can check the pronunciation of the word in this dictionary.
To be continued… Stay tuned for more tips on tricky Russian spelling and pronunciation!
💬 Have you noticed tricky Russian letters in other words? Share your examples in the comments!
Keep improving your Russian by exploring Russian homographs.