Sounds & Spelling

Silent letters

Some English words have letters you write but do not say.

1 Observe

Say each word aloud. Which letter do you see but not hear?

Knife Say: NIFE. The k is silent.
Write Say: RITE. The w is silent.
Lamb Say: LAM. The b is silent.
Hour Say: OW-er. The h is silent.

2 Discover

These letters are silent letters. Long ago, people said many of them, but the sound slowly dropped away while the spelling stayed. Look for patterns: kn at the start (knee, knock) and mb at the end (thumb, climb).

3 Apply

Joseph hurt his ____ while playing cricket in Kochi. Which word has a silent b?

Diya tied a ____ in the ribbon. Which word has a silent k?

Which letter is silent in both 'hour' and 'honest'?

4 Create

Choose two words with silent letters. Write one sentence that uses both.

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Example: Vikram knocked on the door and waited for an hour.

5 Explore

Open the silent-letter cards. Find one pattern you already knew and one that surprised you.