Sound Gym
palm · balm · bomb
Silent letter trio — palm and balm drop the L, bomb drops the B. All three end in just /m/.
palm
/pɑːm/
silent L — long /ɑː/
balm
/bɑːm/
silent L — long /ɑː/
bomb
/bɒm/
silent B — short /ɒ/
noun — (1) a tropical tree — 'palm tree' · 'palm oil'; (2) the inside of your hand — 'palm of your hand' · 'read someone's palm'
mouth shape
long /ɑː/ — jaw drops very wide, tongue low and back — the L is completely silent — like 'calm', 'balm', 'arm', 'father'
palm
/pɑːm/
vowel length
noun — a soothing ointment or cream — 'lip balm' · 'tiger balm' · 'a balm for the soul' — also: a fragrant herb (lemon balm)
mouth shape
same as palm — long /ɑː/, silent L — only the initial consonant differs: /p/ vs /b/ — these rhyme perfectly
balm
/bɑːm/
vowel length
noun or verb — an explosive device; or to fail badly — 'time bomb' · 'bomb disposal' · 'the show bombed' · 'bomb a test'
mouth shape
short /ɒ/ — different from palm/balm! Lips slightly rounded, mouth not as wide open — the B at the end is completely silent — /bɒm/ not /bɒmb/
bomb
/bɒm/
vowel length
Silent letter map
palm · balm — silent L
palm balm
The L after A in -alm is always silent in English. Same pattern: calm, psalm, qualm, balm, palm, embalm.
bomb — silent B
bomb
Final B after M is always silent. Same pattern: lamb, comb, tomb, womb, dumb, thumb, climb, crumb.
Key differences
palm and balm rhyme — both have long /ɑː/ and a silent L. Only the initial consonant differs (/p/ vs /b/).
bomb has a different vowel — short /ɒ/ (like “hot”) — and a silent final B, not L. Do not say “bomb-b”!
Example sentences
palm:“She shielded her eyes with her palm.”
balm:“Apply the balm to your lips twice a day.”
bomb:“The disposal team defused the bomb safely.”
bomb:“The new film completely bombed at the box office.”
Hear it in a sentence
“She shaded her eyes with her palm and squinted out across the valley.”
“A small tin of lip balm lived permanently in her coat pocket.”
“The demolition team used a controlled bomb to bring down the old factory chimney.”
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.
palm
Hear native speakers say “palm” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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balm
Hear native speakers say “balm” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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bomb
Hear native speakers say “bomb” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
palm / balm family ▸
bomb family ▸
Related pairs
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