Silent letters (k, w, b, l, g)
You learn to spell historical silent letters that are no longer pronounced (kn, wr, mb, gn).
How to write it
Some words contain a letter that is completely silent when spoken: kn (knife), wr (write), mb (thumb), gn (gnat).
A worked example
The brave ___ rode into the royal castle. (silent k)
- Knight begins with a silent k before n.
- Write k-n-i-g-h-t: knight.
More examples
Please ___ your name at the top of the page. (silent w)
- Write begins with a silent w before r.
- Write w-r-i-t-e: write.
A monkey will ___ to the top of the tree. (silent b)
- Climb ends with a silent b after m.
- Write c-l-i-m-b: climb.
Try it yourself
silent b
Monkeys love to ___ tall trees in the jungle.
silent g
Look at the street ___ to find the road.
Watch out
Writing words phonetically without the silent letter: nite for knight, rite for write, lim for limb.
Spot the pattern: kn at the start (knee, know, knot), wr at the start (write, wrong, wrist), mb at the end (comb, climb, thumb).
Tips
- Pronounce the silent letter secretly in your head when spelling: "k-nee", "w-rite", "climb-b".
Why it works
Centuries ago, English speakers pronounced every letter in knight, wrist, and climb. The pronunciation changed, but the spelling preserved the original letter.