https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-usage/is-thes-c-silent-scent-mystery-explainedNeither is silent. They work together as a digraph in the word scent to create the /s/ sound. Some may argue that the "c" is silent because you only hear the /s/ sound, but because "c" always makes an /s/ sound before an "e," it's not silent in scent.

Scent is not the only word to follow this spelling rule — but that's not to say that "sc" always makes a /s/ sound. You'll find this letter combination in lots of different English words with many different etymologies.

When the "sc" digraph comes before an "e" or an "i," as it does in scent, it typically makes a /s/ sound. These words typically have roots in the Old French or Greek languages. Words that have an "sc" digraph include:

discipline
scene
sciatic
science
scintillating
scion
scissors