Silent letters

Silent "b" dropped ("bt" written as "t")

The "b" in "bt" is silent: "doubt", "debt", "subtle".

Silent "h" dropped ("gh" written as "g")

The "h" after "g" is silent at the start of "ghost", "ghastly", "gherkin" and "ghoul".

Silent "gh" dropped ("ght" written as "t")

The "gh" in "-ght" is silent, leaving just a /t/ sound at the end: "night", "light", "thought", "brought".

Silent "g" dropped ("gn" written as "n")

The "g" next to "n" is silent: "gnome", "gnaw", "sign", "design".

Silent "s" dropped ("isl" written as "il")

The "s" is silent in this small family of words: "island", "isle", "aisle".

Silent "k" dropped ("kn" written as "n")

The "k" in "kn" is silent, so writing what you hear loses it. These words keep it: "know", "knee", "knife", "knock".

Silent "b" dropped ("mb" written as "m")

A "b" after "m" at the end of a word is silent: "thumb", "lamb", "climb", "comb".

Silent "n" dropped ("mn" written as "m")

At the end of a word the "n" after "m" is silent: "autumn", "column", "solemn", "hymn". You can hear it in "autumnal" and "solemnity".

Silent "h" dropped ("rh" written as "r")

Some words from Greek start with a silent "h" after the "r": "rhyme", "rhythm", "rhino", "rhubarb".

Silent "c" dropped ("sc" written as "s")

A "c" after "s" is silent here, so the pair says just /s/: "science", "scissors", "muscle", "discipline".

Silent "t" dropped ("sten" written as "sen")

The "t" is silent in these words: "listen", "fasten", "glisten", "moisten".

Silent "t" dropped ("-stle" written as "-sle")

The "t" in "-stle" is silent: "castle", "whistle", "thistle", "rustle".

Silent "w" dropped ("sw" written as "s")

The "w" is silent in "answer" and "sword".

Silent "w" dropped ("wr" written as "r")

The "w" in "wr" is silent, so writing what you hear loses it. These words keep it: "write", "wrong", "wrap", "wrist".

Y2The /n/ sound spelt kn and (less often) gn at the beginning of words

Examples: knock, know, knee, gnat, gnaw

Y2The /r/ sound spelt wr at the beginning of words

Examples: write, written, wrote, wrong, wrap

Y3 / 4Words with the /s/ sound spelt sc (Latin in origin)

Examples: science, scene, discipline, fascinate

Y5 / 6Words with 'silent' letters

Examples: doubt, island, lamb, solemn, thistle

Dictation sentences

Read each one aloud and ask your child to write it down.

1. I know the lamb hurt its knee.
2. Write the wrong answer in the box, then rub it out.
3. The knight climbed to the top of the castle.

Quick check

Can they spell these without help?

• knock
• wrist
• comb
• whistle

Keep going

• Year 2 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Year 3 and 4 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Year 5 and 6 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Printable spelling test sheet - for writing the words on paper
• Practise in Spelling.Live - add these words as a list, take a Skills Check, or play games built from them