Year 6 - English
Spelling words with the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's'
Letter strings, etymology and curriculum words
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils review and learn a wide range of Year 6 spellings, including letter strings, words with the suffixes -ant, -ance, -ent, -ence, -able and -ible, silent letters, French and Greek origin words, curriculum words and words that use the hyphen in two ways.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to spell words that contain the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's'.
Key Notes
- A silent 'h' can be found in different places within a word and next to different letters.
- A silent 'p' can be found in different places within a word and next to different letters.
- A silent 'n' is generally found at the end of the word after the letter m.
- A silent 'l' generally comes after a vowel and often changes the sound of the vowel.
- How to spell words with the silent letter 's' and the curriculum words: environment, twelfth and desperate.
Vocabulary To Learn
- silent letter: a letter in a word that is not pronounced when the word is spoken
- digraph: two letters that represent one sound
- grapheme: the letter or group of letters that represent a sound
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think letters are silent in some digraphs for example, the 'h' in 'ch'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
A silent 'h' can be found in different places within a word and next to different letters. A silent 'p' can be found in different places within a word and next to different letters.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'silent letter'
a letter in a word that is not pronounced when the word is spoken.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think letters are silent in some digraphs for example, the 'h' in 'ch'. Correction: Discuss difference between silent letters and digraphs. In 'chaos' the letter 'h' is silent but the other letters make a sound. Whereas, in the word 'clench' the 'h' is part of the 'ch' digraph where the two letters together make one sound.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Recognising the different sounds made by the letter strings 'ough' and 'au' Study Guide
- Recognising the different sounds made by the letter strings "ou", "ear" and "ice" Study Guide
- Spelling key curriculum words Study Guide
- Spelling words from the Y5/6 curriculum list Study Guide
- Spelling words with French etymology Study Guide
- Spelling words with Greek and Latin etymology Study Guide
- Spelling words with the -able suffix Study Guide
- Spelling words with the -ible suffix Study Guide
- Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ei' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ie' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the silent letters 'b', 'k', 'g', 'w' and 't' Study Guide
- Spelling words with the suffixes -ant and -ance Study Guide
- Spelling words with the suffixes -ent and -ence Study Guide
- Using hyphens to create adjectives Study Guide
- Using hyphens to join prefixes to root words Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 6 English guide library.