-
Introduction
View the activity introduction for more information on the topic
-
Read aloud
Read the question aloud
-
Accessibility
Open the accessibility toolbar to change fonts and contrast, choose a different language, use a ruler and more
Certain words in the English language have silent letters that at one time, in history, were pronounced.
Some letters, which are no longer sounded, were once stressed hundreds of years ago.
For example, in knight, there was an 'k' sound before the 'n'.
A silent letter in a word, is a letter that we do not pronounce.
Another way of thinking of a silent letter is as a letter whose presence cannot be predicted from the pronunciation of the word.
Example:
Silent k, as in the words 'knife', 'knee' and 'knapsack'.
Silent w, as in the words 'write', 'wren' and 'wriggle'.
Silent b, as in the words 'thumb' and 'subtle'.
Silent t, as in 'castle', 'nestle' and 'whistle'.
Why do we have silent letters, they just seem confusing?
Silent letters do have their uses!
They can be beneficial when distinguishing between homophones, for example: 'know'/'no' or, 'band'/'banned'.
Silent letters can change the pronunciation of words, even though they are actually silent!
For example: 'sin'/'sign' or, 'rat'/'rate'.
This activity will help you locate silent letters and spell words with silent letters.
Question
/ 10Ms Tooze
Do you want to skip questions and finish?
Hold up, it looks like there may be an issue with your spelling. Why not try it again?
You need to check your answer before you proceed. Are you sure you want to skip?
Teacher explanation