Silent letters

What are silent letters?

Silent letters are letters that you can't hear when you say the word,but that are there when you write the word.

There are no rules, you just have to learn them.

Silent letters can prove a problem to students.

It’s important to know what words have silent letters.

Silent p

pneumonia pseudonym psychiatrist psalm

corps coup cupboard raspberry receipt

Silent b

debt doubt crumb dumb numb thumb

limb plumber tomb lamb climb bomb comb

When is mb pronounced?

mb (at end)-s, -ed, -ing, -er

silent

bombs bombed bombing bomber

m-bseparate syllables

pronounced

bom-bard com-bine crum-ble Dum-bo

Silent k

knee kneel knelt know knew known knowledge

knife knight knot knit knob knock knickers knuckle knack

Silent g

gnome gnarl campaign reign foreigner

diaphragm sign design resign

When is gn pronounced?

gn (at end) -s, -ed, -ing, -er

silent

signs signed signing signer

g-nseparate syllablespronounced

sig-nal sig-nature

re-sig-na-tion

Silent t

castle whistle witch castle watch butcher scratch match catch kitchen chestnut

Christmas soften often fasten listen often mortgage mustn't

Silent t (2)

many words of French origin

ballet buffet chalet crochet gourmet valet depot debut

3 consonant sounds

at the end of a word = middle 't' is silent

acts ducts students

Silent d

Wednesday handkerchief handsome ma'am = madam

edge hedge badge wedge

Silent CH

yacht

Silent h

ghetto ghost heir honor honest what when where why which while whether white

rhythm rhyme Thomas Theresa Oprah Hannah

Silent L

calf half salvebalm calm palm psalmchalk talk walkcould should wouldcolonelfolk yolkLincolnalmond salmon

Silent m

mnemonic

Silent n

autumnhymndamnsolemncolumn

When is mn pronounced?

mnno endingssilent

autumn hymn

solemn damn

m-nseparate syllablespronounced

dam-na-tion au-tum-nal

hym-nal so-lem-ni-ty

Silent th

asthma 3 consonant sounds at the end of a word, middle 'th' is silent

clothes months depths lengths

Silent w

answer sword toward two/wh/ : whole who whom whose/wr/ : write wrote written writing wrong

wrap wrestle wrist wren wreck

Silent u

guest guess guitar guard building guilty rogue vogue biscuit tongue

Silent s

aisle island debrisArkansas Illinois

GH Words

Written "gh" has no sound of its own.It's never pronounced as it's written, ie. /gh/

/g/ : Afghanistan aghast Ghana gherkin ghost ghoul ghetto spaghetti/ɒf/ : cough trough/ɑf/ : laugh draught (draft)/ʌf/ : rough tough enough slough off

gh

/ʌp/ : hiccough = hiccup /ɔ/ + silent gh : daughter slaughter fraught

ought to haughty naughty

past tense verbs : caught taught bought

brought fought sought

thought

gh

/aɪt/ + silent gh :bright light night sigh sight high height/eɪ/ + silent gh : neighbor sleigh weigh weight straight/əʊ/ + silent gh : (al)though dough doughnut (donut) borough (boro) thorough

gh

/u:/ + silent gh : through/aʊ +silent gh : bough plough (plow)

drought

Vowel Reductionunstressed vowel + r = vowel not pronouncedPr/braspirintemperatureopera laboratorydeliberate (adjective only)separate (adjective only)

Vowel reduction

fr/vrcomfortabledifferent everybeveragefavorablefavorite

Vowel reduction

tr documentaryelementary

interestedinteresting

Vowel reduction

honorablemiserable

Homophones: same pronunciation different spelling different meaning

Aair heir ere aisle isle I'll altar alter ant aunt ate eight

B

balm bomb bare bear base, bass (instrument) beach beech beat beet beau bow been bin beer bier berry, bury berth birth bedding betting

billed build bite byte blew, blue boar bore board bored born borne boro borough burro burrow bough bow boll bowl brake break bread bred bridal bridle buy by bye

C

cache cash capital capitol cast, caste cell sell cent sent scent cereal serial cheap cheep check cheque Czech coup coo

chews choose choral coral cite sight site close clothes coarse course colonel kernel complement

compliment core corps

D

dam damn dear deer dew do due doe dough done dun ducks ducts

E

earn urn

F

fair fare fill Phil find fined for (unstressed) fir fur flea flee

flew flu flue flour flower for fore four forth fourth freeze frees frieze

G

groan grown

H

hair hare ... heard herd ... hear here ... heed he'd ... hi high

him hymn higher hire hole whole hoarse horse hour our

I

it's its

J

Jim, gym

K

knight night knit nit knot not know no

L

lead n. led v lessen lesson liar lyre

M

meat meet mete mean mien moan mown mode mowed morning mourning

N

need knead new knew gnu night knightNome gnome none nun not knot

O

oar or ore one won

P

pain pane pear pair pare peace piece peak peek pique per purr

peer pier poor pore principal principle pudding putting

R

rain reign rap wrap read, reed read, red right rite wrightroad rode rose rows rote wrote

S

sea see seas sees seize c's scene seen sell cell shone shown shoe shoo sight site cite slay sleigh

stair stare stationary stationery steal steel straight strait some, sum son, sun

T

taught taut their there they're threw through thruthrone throne tie Thai thyme time to too two

U

u ewe you yew

V

vale veil vial vile

W

wail whale wale wait weight war wore ware wear where

warn worn way weigh whey what are you, what do

you weal wheel wine whine wrote rote

Y

you yew ewe u your you're

THANK YOU

END OF SLIDES