Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 2 English Guides

Year 2 - English

Silent letters: the 'gn' spelling

Alternative GPCS for consonants and homophones

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn to spell homophones, near-homophones and new consonant spellings.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to spell words with 'gn' representing the 'n' phoneme.

Key Notes

  • 'gn' can be a representation of the 'n' phoneme.
  • The representation 'gn' is usually found at the start or end of a word.
  • How to spell the common exception word: school.
  • Words connected in word families often have similar spellings, such as sign and signal.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • phoneme: the smallest unit of sound that make up words
  • grapheme: the letter or group of letters that represent a sound
  • word families: a group of words common in feature, pattern or meaning
  • etymology: the study of the origin of words and the ways their meanings have changed over time

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The 'gn' digraph does not always use the 'g' as a silent letter.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

'gn' can be a representation of the 'n' phoneme. The representation 'gn' is usually found at the start or end of a word.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'phoneme'

the smallest unit of sound that make up words.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: The 'gn' digraph does not always use the 'g' as a silent letter. Correction: Expose children to words with 'gn' where the 'g' is both silent and not silent.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 2 English guide library.