Pneu

The French language has this reputation for silent letters. Not just letter, letters. Even simple word like vous is pronounced ‘voo’.

I am not complaining. Far from it! Now that I have overcome my initial fears, I am enjoying speaking French.

And that’s why I wonder how did the French manage to miss out on pneu (tyre). It is pronounced ‘puh-nuu’. Undoubtedly, the root for ‘pneu’ is the same as that for ‘pneumatic’, but ‘puh-nuu’??? It sounds like someone with a blocked nose trying desperately to clear the passageway. A language that has words with, at times, more than 3 silent letters forgot to make ‘p’ in ‘pneu’ silent.