What are some words spelled differently from the way they sound?

You're right, English is full of words that don't sound the way they are spelled! Here are a few examples, categorized by the specific reason for the discrepancy:

Silent Letters:

* Know: The "k" is silent.

* Debt: The "b" is silent.

* Hour: The "h" is silent.

* Knife: The "k" is silent.

* Wrestle: The "w" is silent.

Unusual Letter Combinations:

* Through: The "ough" sounds like "oo."

* Friend: The "ie" sounds like "e."

* Island: The "s" is silent.

* Cough: The "gh" sounds like "f."

* Gnat: The "gn" sounds like "n."

Words with Multiple Pronunciation:

* Bow: Can be pronounced as "bow" or "bough."

* Read: Pronounced differently depending on whether it's past tense or present tense.

* Lead: Can be pronounced as "led" or "leed" depending on the context.

* Tear: Can be pronounced as "tear" (as in crying) or "tare" (as in rip).

Words with Strange Vowel Sounds:

* Again: The "ai" sounds like "e."

* People: The "eo" sounds like "ee."

* Women: The "o" sounds like "i."

* Said: The "ai" sounds like "e."

These are just a few examples, and there are many more words in the English language that defy phonetic spelling! It's one of the things that makes English so challenging, but also so interesting and diverse.