Silent P

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Ptisan :-)

How about soundproof toilet?

If a P falls over in the forest and there is no one there to hear it does it make a sound?

psychedelic?

ph combinations ought not to count, as if the p really were silent then the word would begin with an h sound—which none of them do. The ph can be dropped as a whole though, I've just found out.

I'd pronounce the initial p in the German words.

Great list! There's also phthisis and psionic.

Reminds me of that old sign:

WELCOME TO OUR SWIMMING OOL. IT HAS NO 'P' IN IT AND WE'D LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

Good question. The OED. But they're British so they say lots of things wrong. :) Here, I'll put them back.

Odd. In the eyeball world, the p is pronounced in neither word (pterygium or ptosis). Where are you seeing that they're pronounced?

Well, I looked up the pronunciation of ptosis, and apparently the p is supposed to be pronounced! So while it's a cool word, it doesn't belong on this list. More's the pity. :(

Same with pterygium.

Of course I found this out AFTER I added a citation... Ergh...

Oooh. One more: pterygium.

...and ptosis

Thanks Abraxas! I was hoping to add to this list as I came across stuff, but you've saved me some time.

how about the x-men character psylocke? Then there's pterodactyl, psalm, pseudonym, Ptolemaic, and, of course, the variations on psyche