debit · debt

Both share the short vowel /ɛ/ — but debt has a silent B. You say /dɛt/, not /dɛbt/. A Latin spelling fossil.

Both words share the short vowel /ɛ/, but debt has a silent B — you never say it. This is a classic English spelling trap inherited from Latin (debitum). In debit the B is fully pronounced.

Silent letter alert: debt = /dɛt/ — the B is invisible to your ears!

Other words with a silent B: doubt /daʊt/, subtle /ˈsʌt.əl/, thumb /θʌm/, lamb /læm/

⠿ reorder

A debit card being tapped at a payment terminal

noun/verb — a bank transaction that removes money — 'debit card' · 'debit the account'

mouth shape

short /ɛ/ — mouth half-open, tongue mid-low — like 'bed', 'set' — the B is clearly heard: /ˈdɛb.ɪt/

debit

/ˈdɛb.ɪt/

vowel length

short /ɛ/

⠿ reorder

A person overwhelmed by bills and notices — in debt

noun — money owed — 'national debt' · 'in debt' · 'pay off your debt'

mouth shape

same short /ɛ/ — but the B is completely silent — you say /dɛt/, rhymes with 'set', 'met'

debt

/dɛt/

vowel length

short /ɛ/

Key difference

Same vowel /ɛ/ in both. debit /ˈdɛb.ɪt/: the B is pronounced — two clear syllables. debt /dɛt/: the B is completely silent — one syllable, rhymes with set.

Example sentences

debit:“I paid with my debit card.”

debit:“The payment was debited from my account.”

debt:“She graduated with a lot of student debt.”

debt:“He finally paid off all his debts.”

Hear it in a sentence

“She paid for groceries with her debit card and kept the receipt.”

“The company carried a debt of nearly two million pounds.”

Hear it in the wild

Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.

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