If Russian spelling sometimes feels confusing, you’re definitely not alone. One common challenge for learners is that some Russian consonants are written but not pronounced. Let’s look at a few typical examples:
- со́лнце (sun) — [ˈsont͡sə]
- гига́нтский (gigantic) — [ɡʲɪˈɡanskʲɪj] / [ɡʲɪˈɡant͡sskʲɪɪ̯]
- изве́стный (famous) — [ɪˈzvʲesnɨɪ̯]
- кре́стник (godson) — [ˈkrʲesʲnʲɪk]
- нена́стный (inclement) — [nʲɪˈnasnʲɪɪ̯]
Here’s a handy trick: find a related word where the consonant is actually pronounced. This can help you remember the correct spelling. Here are the examples for the words listed above:
- со́лнечный (sunny) — [ˈsoɫnʲɪt͡ɕnɨɪ̯]
- гига́нт (giant) — [ɡʲɪˈɡant]
- изве́стие (news) — [ɪˈzvʲesʲtʲɪɪ̯ə]
- крести́ть (to baptise) — [krʲɪˈsʲtʲitʲ]
- нена́стье (bad weather) — [nʲɪˈnasʲtʲɪ̯ə]
Always double-check how a word is written and pronounced in a dictionary.
To be continued… More tips on tricky Russian spelling and pronunciation coming soon.
💬 Have you come across other Russian words with silent consonants? Share your examples in the comments!
And if you want to keep improving, have a look at my post on Russian homographs.
Activity
For each word in the left column, write a related word where the silent consonant is clearly pronounced. Click the tick in the bottom right corner to check your answers.
- If you are using a mobile device, tap the expand icon in the top right corner and the exercise will open in a new window.