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-b separate 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-n separate syllables pronounced sig-nal sig-nature re-sig-na-tion

Silent t Christmas soften often fasten listen mortgage mustn't castle whistle witch watch butcher scratch match catch kitchen chestnut Christmas soften often fasten listen 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 salve balm calm palm psalm chalk talk walk could should would colonel folk yolk Lincoln almond salmon

Silent m mnemonic

Silent n autumn hymn damn solemn column

m-n separate syllables pronounced When is mn pronounced? mn no endings silent autumn hymn solemn damn m-n separate syllables pronounced 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 debris Arkansas 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 Reduction unstressed vowel + r = vowel not pronounced Pr/br aspirin temperature opera laboratory deliberate (adjective only) separate (adjective only)

Vowel reduction fr/vr comfortable different every beverage favorable favorite

Vowel reduction tr documentary elementary interested interesting

Vowel reduction honorable miserable

Homophones: same pronunciation different spelling different meaning air 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 knight Nome 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 wright road 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 thru throne 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