Don’t Let Silent Letters Confuse Your Students!

Silent letters are everywhere in the English language. These imposter letters jump along for the ride but don’t make any sound in the words they are tagging along with!

Familiarise your students with some of the most common silent letters in our language with this set of seven worksheets. Each worksheet contains a word bank of nine silent letter words. Students are required to match the word to the corresponding picture, then write the word in the box provided.  

• Worksheet 1 focuses on the silent w. 
• Worksheet 2 focuses on the silent k.
• Worksheet 3 focuses on the silent g.
• Worksheet 4 focuses on the silent h.
• Worksheet 5 focuses on the silent l.
• Worksheet 6 focuses on the silent b.
• Worksheet 7 focuses on the silent n and silent l.

Tips for Scaffolding and Differentiation

Check out these suggestions for providing additional support or extension to your diverse range of learners.

For students who may be having trouble decoding the silent letters in the words, help them segment each word into its phonemes. How many sounds can they hear? Which letter in the word is not making any of those sounds? A process of elimination may help when it comes to matching the words to the pictures.

Encourage fast finishers to write a silent letter story using the word bank from one of the worksheets. Have the students swap these with a partner, then have their partner highlight all the silent letter words within the story. 

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This resource was created by Anna Helwig, a Teach Starter collaborator.