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Spelling words with the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's'
I can spell words that contain the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's'.
Lesson 10 of 16
New
New
- Year 6
Spelling words with the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's'
I can spell words that contain the silent letters 'h', 'p', 'n', 'l' and 's'.
Lesson details
Key learning 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.
- 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.
Keywords
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 misconception
Pupils may think letters are silent in some digraphs for example, the 'h' in 'ch'.
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.
There is lots of new vocabulary in this lesson. Put unfamiliar words into sentences so that pupils have the chance to understand them before being asked to spell them.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Identify the words containing the 'w' sound.
Identify the words containing the 'w' sound.
wreath
wrinkle
Q2.Identify the words containing the 'm' sound.
Identify the words containing the 'm' sound.
doubt
handle
Q3.Identify the words containing a silent letter 't'.
Identify the words containing a silent letter 't'.
staple
terrifying
seat
Q4.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'He put his thumm up to show that he could hear her clearly.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'He put his thumm up to show that he could hear her clearly.'
thum
thubm
thumn
Q5.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Remember to rite your name at the top of the exam paper.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Remember to rite your name at the top of the exam paper.'
right
rihgt
wright
Q6.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'The nite skidded to a halt and removed his helmet.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'The nite skidded to a halt and removed his helmet.'
night
knite
knighte
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each word to the silent letter it contains.
Match each word to the silent letter it contains.
Q2.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Could you go via the kemist and pick up Nan's medication?'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Could you go via the kemist and pick up Nan's medication?'
cemist
chemisst
khemist
Q3.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'We spent the day picking fresh rarsberrys outside.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'We spent the day picking fresh rarsberrys outside.'
rasberrys
raspberrys
rasberries
Q4.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'The ortum leaves rustled like a carpet of fire on the ground.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'The ortum leaves rustled like a carpet of fire on the ground.'
autum
ortumn
awetum
Q5.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'As the tiny stone hit the surface, the karm waters rippled and shone.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'As the tiny stone hit the surface, the karm waters rippled and shone.'
kalm
carm
calme
Q6.Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'After the crash, there was debry all over the road.'
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'After the crash, there was debry all over the road.'
debri
debries
debrys
