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

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

5. 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

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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

12. Silent CH
yacht

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

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. 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

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

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 Reduction unstressed 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
air heir ere
aisle isle I'll
altar alter
ant aunt
ate eight

31. 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

32. 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

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

34. E
earn urn

35. 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

36. G
groan grown

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

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

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

47. 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

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

51. 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

52. Y
you yew ewe u
your you're

53. THANK YOU
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