Silent Letters in Words
Spell words containing silent letters that are remnants of earlier pronunciation or etymology, recognising common silent-letter patterns and using word origins to remember them
Lesson
Set out your lesson
Remember silent letters while recognising that spellings have different histories.
Before teaching
Use this short check, then start teaching.
Inferred, not a taxonomy edge: learner can access the supplied prompt with agreed support and can explain or mark a response. If earlier skills are unfamiliar, use the prerequisite topic for teaching; an authored prerequisite is not proof this learner is ready.
Share and support
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
UF Literacy Institute · Practice link — not the full lesson
Lessons 111–118 Resources
Before you open · source notes
Free UFLI Foundations toolbox materials for low-frequency spellings, including silent-letter patterns. Adult picks one set; not every Greek root.
Free university page, no sign-in for these materials. An adult chooses the activity.
Before you openAsk the learner to spell or read one silent-letter word from an adult-chosen card.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public UF Literacy Institute Foundations toolbox page for Lessons 111–118 (Low Frequency Spellings). An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this page. Printable and slide links on the page were not downloaded in this check. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. The paid UFLI Foundations manual is separate from these free toolbox materials.
UF Literacy Institute. “Lessons 111–118 Resources.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Identify and spell words with silent initial consonants: knight, know, write, wrap, gnaw, psalm, applying knowledge that these letters were once pronounced
- Spell words with silent internal letters: doubt (b), island (s), muscle (c), solemn (n), using etymological connections to aid memory (e.g. doubt from Latin dubitare)
- Use word families and etymology to remember silent letters, e.g. sign is related to signal where the g is pronounced
“When your child writes words that have silent letters — like "knight," "wrap," or "lamb" — do they remember to include the silent letter even though you can't hear it?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Spelling & Word Study
- Age range
- Ages 9–12
Standards