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Year 2 - English

Silent letters: the 'kn' 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 'kn' representing the 'n' phoneme.

Key Notes

  • 'kn' can be a representation of the 'n' phoneme.
  • The representation 'kn' is usually found at the start of a word.
  • How to spell the common exception words: push and pull.
  • Words connected in word families often have similar spellings.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • grapheme: the letter or group of letters that represent a sound
  • phoneme: the smallest unit of sound
  • homophone: homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings, like "two," "to," and "too"
  • word families: a group of words common in feature, pattern or meaning
  • silent letter: a letter in a word that is not pronounced when the word is spoken

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Children can often spell the past tense how it sounds, e.g. with a 'd' at the end rather than 'ed'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

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

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

the letter or group of letters that represent a sound.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Children can often spell the past tense how it sounds, e.g. with a 'd' at the end rather than 'ed'. Correction: Before writing the sentence, remind children that the suffix 'ed' can sound like 'd' or 'id' or 't'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 2 English guide library.