Silent letters

1. Silent letters

2. 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.

3. pneumonia pseudonym psychiatrist psalm corps coup cupboard raspberry receipt Silent p

4. debt doubt crumb dumb numb thumb limb plumber tomb lamb climb bomb comb Silent b

5. mb(at end)-s, -ed, -ing, -ersilent bombs bombed bombing bomber m-bseparate syllablespronounced bom-bard com-bine crum-ble Dum-bo When is mb pronounced?

6. knee kneel knelt know knew known knowledge knife knight knot knit knob knock knickers knuckle knack Silent k

7. gnome gnarl campaign reign foreigner diaphragm sign design resign Silent g

8. gn (at end) -s, -ed, -ing, -ersilent signs signed signing signer g-nseparate syllablespronounced sig-nal sig-nature re-sig-na-tion When is gn pronounced?

9. castle whistle witch castle watch butcher scratch match catch kitchen chestnut Christmas soften often fasten listen often mortgage mustn't Silent t

10. 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 t (2)

11. Wednesday handkerchief handsome ma'am = madam edge hedge badge wedge Silent d

12. Silent CH • yacht

13. ghetto ghost heir honor honest what when where why which while whether white rhythm rhyme Thomas Theresa Oprah Hannah Silent h

14. Silent L • calf half salve • balm calm palm psalm • chalk talk walk • could should would • colonel • folk yolk • Lincoln • almond salmon

15. Silent m • mnemonic

16. Silent n • autumn • hymn • damn • solemn • column

17. mnno endingssilent autumn hymn solemn damn m-nseparate syllablespronounced dam-na-tion au-tum-nal hym-nal so-lem-ni-ty When is mn pronounced?

18. asthma 3 consonant sounds at the end of a word, middle 'th' is silent clothes months depths lengths Silent th

19. Silent w • answer sword toward two • /wh/ : whole who whom whose • /wr/ : write wrote written writing wrong wrap wrestle wrist wren wreck

20. Silent u • guest guess guitar guard • building guilty • rogue vogue • biscuit • tongue

21. Silent s • aisle island debris • Arkansas Illinois

22. 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

23. gh • /ʌp/ : hiccough = hiccup • /ɔ/ + silent gh : daughter slaughter fraught ought to haughty naughty past tense verbs : caught taught bought brought fought sought thought

24. 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

25. gh • /u:/ + silent gh : through • /aʊ +silent gh : bough plough (plow) drought

26. Vowel Reductionunstressed vowel + r = vowel not pronounced Pr/br • aspirin • temperature • opera • laboratory • deliberate (adjective only) • separate (adjective only)

27. Vowel reduction fr/vr • comfortable • different • every • beverage • favorable • favorite

28. Vowel reduction tr • documentary • elementary • interested • interesting

29. Vowel reduction • honorable • miserable

30. Homophones: same pronunciation different spelling different meaning A • air heir ere • aisle isle I'll • altar alter • ant aunt • ate eight

31. 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 B

32. 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 C

33. D • dam damn • dear deer • dew do due • doe dough • done dun • ducks ducts

34. E • earn urn

35. 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 F

36. G • groan grown

37. hair hare ... heard herd ... hear here ... heed he'd ... hi high him hymn higher hire hole whole hoarse horse hour our H

38. I • it's its

39. J • Jim, gym

40. K • knight night • knit nit • knot not • know no

41. L • lead n. led v • lessen lesson • liar lyre

42. M • meat meet mete • mean mien • moan mown • mode mowed • morning mourning

43. N • need knead • new knew gnu • night knight • Nome gnome • none nun • not knot

44. O • oar or ore • one won

45. pain pane pear pair pare peace piece peak peek pique per purr peer pier poor pore principal principle pudding putting P

46. R • rain reign • rap wrap • read, reed • read, red • right rite wright • road rode • rose rows • rote wrote

47. 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 S

48. T • taught taut • their there they're • threw through thru • throne throne • tie Thai • thyme time • to too two

49. U • u ewe you yew

50. V • vale veil • vial vile