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Understanding and Pronouncing Words with Silent Letters [Your Name or Class Name] [Date]

Silent Letters in British English

  • Silent letters are letters in a word that are written but not pronounced.
  • Recognising silent letters helps improve pronunciation and comprehension in English.
  • This presentation will cover common silent letters and rules.

Introduction to Silent Letters

  • Rule: The letter B is silent when it follows M at the end of a word.
  • Examples:
  • Thumb /θʌm/
  • Climb /klaɪm/
  • Comb /koʊm/
  • Lamb /læm/
  • • Tomb /tuːm/
  • Note: The B is not pronounced in these words.

Silent B After M

  • Rule: The letter C is silent when it follows S.
  • Examples:
  • Muscle /ˈmʌsəl/
  • Scissors /ˈsɪzəz/
  • Scene /siːn/
  • Scent /sɛnt/
  • Note: The S takes the sound, and C is not pronounced.

Silent C After S

  • Rule: The letter E is silent at the end of a word if only one other vowel is in the word.
  • Examples:
  • • Brake /breɪk/
  • • Cake /keɪk/
  • • Make /meɪk/
  • • Hope /hoʊp/
  • • Name /neɪm/
  • Exception: Recipe /ˈrɛsɪpi/ (Here, the E is pronounced).

Silent E at the End of Words

  • Rule 1: H is silent when preceded by W.
  • Examples: Why /waɪ/, When /wɛn/
  • Rule 2: H is silent when followed by C, R, or G.
  • Examples:
  • Chemical /ˈkɛmɪkəl/
  • Rhapsody /ˈræpsədi/
  • Ghost /ɡoʊst/
  • Echo /ˈɛkoʊ/
  • Hour /ˈaʊə/
  • Note: In these cases, the H is not pronounced.

Silent H in Various Positions

  • Rule: The letter K is silent when it is followed by N at the beginning of a word.
  • Examples:
  • Knife /naɪf/
  • Knock /nɒk/
  • Knee /niː/
  • Knit /nɪt/
  • Knight /naɪt/
  • Knowledge /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/
  • Note: The K is not pronounced, and the word starts with the N sound.

Silent K Before N

  • Rule: The letter L is silent when it follows A, O, U.
  • Examples:
  • Palm /pɑːm/
  • Would /wʊd/
  • Calm /kɑːm/
  • Half /hɑːf/
  • Talk /tɔːk/
  • Walk /wɔːk/
  • Yolk /yōk/
  • Note: The L is not pronounced in these words.

Silent L After A, O, U

  • Rule: The letter P is silent in words that start with PN, PS, or PT.
  • Examples:
  • Pneumonia /njuːˈmoʊniə/
  • Psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/
  • Pterosaur /ˈtɛrəsɔːr/
  • Pneumonic /njuːˈmɒnɪk/
  • Pseudonym /ˈsjuːdənɪm/
  • Note: The P is not pronounced, and the word begins with the next consonant's sound.

Silent P in Specific Combinations

Silent T Rules:Silent T in "sten" and "ften" combinations:When T appears after S and before E (in "sten") or after F and before E (in "ften"), it is usually silent.Examples:Listen /ˈlɪsən/ (the T is silent)Hasten /ˈheɪsən/ (the T is silent)Often /ˈɒfən/
Silent T Rules:Silent T in "-stle" endings:When T appears before L in the "-stle" ending, it is usually silent.Examples:Castle /ˈkɑːsəl/ (the T is silent)Whistle /ˈwɪsəl/ (the T is silent)Bristle /ˈbrɪsəl/ (the T is silent)
Silent T Rules:Silent T in words ending with "-tch":The T is sometimes silent in words where it follows C and is part of the "-tch" ending.Examples:Match /mætʃ/ (the T is silent)Catch /kætʃ/ (the T is silent)Watch /wɒtʃ/ (the T is silent)
Silent W Rules:When W is followed by R at the beginning of a word, the W is usually silent.Examples:Write /raɪt/ (the W is silent)Wrist /rɪst/ (the W is silent)Wrong /rɒŋ/ (the W is silent)Wreck /rɛk/ (the W is silent)Wrinkle /ˈrɪŋkəl/ (the W is silent)
  • Exercise 1: Identify the silent letter in the following words:
ClimbMuscleGhostKnifeCalmYolkKneePsychologyTalkWristRaspberryCastleWhistleHourThumb
  • Climb - Silent B
  • Muscle - Silent C
  • Ghost - Silent H
  • Knife - Silent K
  • Calm - Silent L
  • Yolk - Silent L
  • Knee - Silent K
  • Psychology - Silent P
  • Talk - Silent L
  • Wrist - Silent W
  • Raspberry - Silent P
  • Castle - Silent T
  • Whistle - Silent T
  • Hour - Silent H
  • Thumb - Silent B
  • Comb
  • Scene
  • Brake
  • Rhapsody
  • Knee
  • Thumb
  • Castle
  • Wrist
  • Whistle
  • Wrap
  • Listen
  • Knife
  • Hour
  • Half
  • Psychology
  • Yolk
  • Climb
  • Comb /kōm/
  • Scene /siːn/
  • Brake /breɪk/
  • Rhapsody /ˈræpsədi/
  • Knee /niː/
  • Thumb /θʌm/
  • Castle /ˈkɑːsəl/
  • Wrist /rɪst/
  • Whistle /ˈwɪsəl/
  • Wrap /ræp/
  • Listen /ˈlɪsən/
  • Knife /naɪf/
  • Hour /ˈaʊə/
  • Half /hɑːf/
  • Psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/
  • Yolk /Yōk/
  • Climb /klaɪm/
  • He ___ on the door before entering the room.
  • She picked up the ___ to brush her hair.
  • The ___ on the hill was built in the 12th century.
  • He used bright paper to ___ the gift.
  • We should leave at ___ to make it to the meeting on time.
  • She wore a gold bracelet on her ___.
  • I prefer my eggs with a soft ___.
  • The student knew the correct ___ to the question.
  • The hiker began to ___ up the steep hill.
  • He tried to ___, but no sound came out.

wrist, yolk, hour, castle, wrap, answer , yolk, climb, whistle, knock

  • He knocked on the door before entering the room.
  • She picked up the comb to brush her hair.
  • The castle on the hill was built in the 12th century.
  • He used bright paper to wrap the gift.
  • We should leave at hour to make it to the meeting on time.
  • She wore a gold bracelet on her wrist.
  • I prefer my eggs with a soft yolk.
  • The student knew the correct answer to the question.
  • The hiker began to climb up the steep hill.
  • He tried to whistle, but no sound came out.

hour, honest, hour, castle, comb, answer, island , write, whistle, knight, lamb, whistle, knee