Is the S or the C in scent silent?

[Rapidmama]

Enquiring minds won’t eat their fucking cornflakes until I find out

The C is silent. It sounds the same as sent.

I'm gonna go with the C. No reasoning, but you can tell your DC a world famous linguist cleared it up for you

@daisypond but cent sounds the same too!

@boughtnotbrought really?! They will be happy

It also sound the same as cent though.

X post

Excellent question!!!
I'd go with either or neither. You technically say both, but could live without either letter.

C

It's the 'c'

In this example, it could be either (because scent, sent and cent are homonyms).

Otherwise is depends on the vowel following - and either 'c' is silent (science) or both consonants are sounded (scat, Scott, scut)

Neither, 'sc' is a digraph that makes the 's' sound (in the same way 'ss' does. Digraphs are just two phonemes (letter sounds) that work together to make one sound, eg 'ph' makes a 'f' sound.

I don’t think either is silent - there is a difference between scent, cent and sent. It’s a tongue placement thing I think.

Neither, 'sc' is a digraph that makes the 's' sound (in the same way 'ss' does.

But it doesn't always make a 's' sound, eg 'scatty' or 'scam'

@LisaSimpsonsbff it depends on the vowel following "sc" as the pp said

Ok but I’m just going to tell them it’s it C

Random it there

But sc together are not a digraph in words like scatty or scam. They are in scent.

How does a cornflake fuck ?

littlemeitslyn

That's probably the best question that will be posted on MN today!

Cornflakes don't fuck. Indeed they exist to curb carnal desires

"He came up with two breakfast staples that he believed would curb sexual impulses. Kellogg developed a few flaky, grain-based cereals, including Corn Flakes, to hinder youths and troubled masturbators from the sinful act

Well you learn something new every day !!

Tell them it’s perfume.

Interestingly my lower jaw is placed differently when I say sent/scent. I think there is a tiny difference of sound between the two.

Dies anyone really pronounce scent, sent and cent differently? All exactly the same when I say them !

When they've had their cornflakes ask them what is silent in Bee. B. Be. Bee.

What Dippy Avocado said. The 'sc' makes an 's' sound before an i or an e, but a 'sk' sound before anything else.

Scent - I definitely have more emphasis on the sc and a longer sound overall
Sent is said more quickly and with less weight at the beginning.
Other than that rhythm/stress difference the pronunciation is the same.