So it’s not exactly the biggest secret in the world that the English language can be as confusing as legal talk. It has so many unique words and rules that it must simply confound non English speakers. There are words that have a similar sound, yet mean different things. Then there are words that sound the same, yet are spelled completely differently. Take for example there, their and they’re. They all sound the same, yet are spelled in a unique way with a completely different meaning. Then there are the word with silent letters. The words that are spelled one way, but if you were to actually pronounce the word the way it is spelled, it would sound weird. Take rendezvous for example. Rendezvous is the only word in the English language that has a silent letter Z.
That’s right, the only word in the English language that has a silent letter Z is rendezvous. But to make it even more complicated for a non English speaker, the “s” is also silent, and the first “e” is pronounced as an “o”, and the second one is pronounced as an “a”. Let complete and utter confusion reign.
But we shouldn’t think that rendezvous is all that confusing. It is a complicated word to work out, but the English language can have heaps of pleasant surprises. Just look at the following word and you will discover the full complexity of this language.
How to pronounce Ghoti:
gh, pronounced “F” as in tough
o, pronounced “I” as in women
ti, pronounced “SH” as in nation
What do you get? Fish
Although rendezvous is a French word, it also appears in the English dictionary which makes it the only English word with a silent Z. This could change over time, as the English language is constantly evolving.
