English Vocabulary and Silent Letters

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering words with silent letters and complex spellings as listed in the lecture transcript.

aisle

A passage between rows of seats in a building such as a church or theater, an aircraft, or a train.

autumn

The season between summer and winter.

ballet

An artistic dance form performed to music using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures.

bouquet

An attractively arranged bunch of flowers, especially one presented as a gift or carried at a ceremony.

bourgeois

Characteristics of the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.

camouflage

The disguising of military personnel, equipment, and installations by painting or covering them to make them blend in with their surroundings.

chauffeur

A person employed to drive a private or rented automobile.

debris

Scattered fragments, typically of something wrecked or destroyed.

drought

A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water.

feign

To pretend to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury.

gnaw

To bite at or nibble something persistently.

heir

A person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

indict

To formally accuse of or charge with a serious crime.

knead

To work moistened flour or clay into dough or paste with the hands.

mnemonic

A device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something.

mortgage

A legal agreement by which a bank or other creditor lends money at interest in exchange for taking title of the debtor's property.

oeuvre

The works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively.

pneumonia

Lung inflammation caused by bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid.

poignant

Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.

pseudonym

A fictitious name, especially one used by an author.

queue

A line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed.

rendezvous

A meeting at an agreed time and place, typically between two people.

subtle

So delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe.

tableau

A group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history.

technique

A way of carrying out a particular task, especially the execution or performance of an artistic work or a scientific procedure.

thistle

A widely distributed herbaceous plant of the daisy family, which typically has a prickly stem and leaves.

turquoise

A greenish-blue color or a greenish-blue semi-precious stone.

yacht

A medium-sized sailboat equipped for cruising or racing.

wraith

A ghost or ghostlike image of someone.

wreckage

The remains of something that has been badly damaged or destroyed.

wrestle

To take part in a fight, either as a sport or in earnest, that involves grappling with one's opponent.

indictment

A formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.

solemnity

The state or quality of being serious and dignified.

psychosis

A severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality.

sovereign

A supreme ruler, especially a monarch.

campaign

A series of military operations intended to achieve a particular objective, or an organized course of action to achieve a goal.

resignation

An act of retiring or giving up a position.