Silent Letters
Which letter is silent in KNIFE?
K
In some words, K is silent before N: knife, knee, know.
Which pair sounds the same?
A. see / sea
B. see / say
C. see / she
A: See/sea
Some English words have different spellings but the same pronunciation. These are called homophones.
Which word has a silent letter?
A. know
B. new
C. now
A — know
The K is silent in know.
ship — sheep — shop
Which word is different?
sheep
The middle vowel sound is different. Ship and shop have short vowel sounds; sheep has a long vowel sound.
Say:
THURSDAY
Thursday is difficult because it combines the TH sound with a consonant-heavy ending.
Which letter is silent in WRITE?
W
W is silent before R in words such as write, wrong and wrist.
Which pair sounds the same?
A. right / write
B. right / read
C. right / rate
A — right / write
Right and write have different meanings and spellings, but they sound the same.
Which word has a silent letter?
A. listen
B. little
C. lesson
A — listen
The T is silent in listen.
bed — bad — red
Which word is different?
bad
Bed and red have the same middle vowel sound; bad has a different one.
Say:
VEGETABLE
Vegetable is often pronounced with fewer syllables than students expect from the spelling.
Which letter is silent in ISLAND?
S
Some words contain letters that we write but don't pronounce. Island is one example.
Which pair sounds the same?
A. two / too
B. two / toe
C. A and B
C — two / too AND toe
English can have several different spellings for the same sound.
Which word has a silent letter?
A. climb
B. class
C. clean
A — climb
The B is silent in climb. We write it, but don't pronounce it.
food — good — moon
Which word is different?
Food and moon have the same vowel sound. Good is different.
Say:
COMFORTABLE
Comfortable is another word where the spelling can make us expect more syllables than we actually say.
Which letter is silent in HONEST?
H
In some words beginning with H, the H is silent: honest, hour, honour.
Which pair sounds the same?
A. there / their
B. there / three
C. there / they
A. there / their
There and their sound the same, but they have different meanings and uses.
Which word has a silent letter?
A. Wednesday
B. wonderful
C. window
A — Wednesday
Wednesday is a good example of English spelling being different from pronunciation.
three — tree — free
Which word is different?
three
Three begins with a “th” sound, while tree and free begin with different consonant sounds.
Say:
RESTAURANT
Restaurant can be difficult because several consonants come together.
Which letter is silent in ANSWER?
W
The W in answer is silent. This is a common spelling/pronunciation difference students need to remember.
Which group contains three words that sound the same?
A. see / sea / C
B. right / write / ride
C. two / too / to
C. two / too / to
Two, too and to sound the same but have three different spellings and uses.
Which word has TWO silent letters?
A. knight
B. night
C. light
A — knight
In knight, both K and GH are silent.
rice — rise — rich
Which word is different?
Rich
Rice and rise end with a similar sound, while rich ends differently.
Say:
OPPORTUNITY
Longer words become easier when students break them into smaller parts and practise them gradually.