Anyways, my guess is it has to do with being an infrequently-used word (for most of us) which entered English before orthography was standardized so much.

I'm a big fan of doublets – where the same word is imported multiple times, sometimes with v different meanings, sometimes quite similar (like "warden" & "guardian"): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublet_(linguistics)

In language learning, I love the surprise overlaps that teach you more about the words you already know.
Like how "parable" and "parabola" are the same word in Spanish! And French "travailler" links English "movement" and "challenges" to Spanish "work".

The inter-connections add so much dimension, and reveal the depth of history: like the vast influence of Arabic, coming from ancient scientists & the Umayyad Caliphate in Iberia. Alchemy! ✨

Another fun English fact: "a napron" -> "an apron"

A bunch of words used to have Ns on the front, but were misinterpreted over time! The same thing happened in the other direction, too. Lots of examples (and related phenomena) here: https://www.etymonline.com/word/N