Page 1 of 4
Look at knock
- knock
- knee
- knife
The k is there, but you do not say it.
Kn says n. Knock sounds like "nock".
Get Ready
Some letters are there, but you do not say them.
Words to know
- silentMaking no sound at all.
Learn It
Page 2 of 4
Here is wr
- wrap
- write
- wrist
The w is silent.
Wr says r. Wrap sounds like "rap".
Page 3 of 4
And mb at the end
- lamb
- thumb
- climb
The b at the end is silent.
Mb says m. Lamb sounds like "lam".
Page 4 of 4
Why is it there?
- knee
Long ago, people said the k in knee.
Then they stopped. The spelling stayed the same.
Your Turn
Answer each question in the yellow box.
Question 1 of 8
Which word has a silent k?
Question 2 of 8
How do you say knife?
Question 3 of 8
Which word has a silent w?
Question 4 of 8
Which word starts with the same sound as run?
Question 5 of 8
Which word ends with a silent b?
Question 6 of 8
Which word rhymes with see?
Question 7 of 8
Which word rhymes with time?
Question 8 of 8
How do you say wrist?
What You Learned
- Some letters make no sound.
- kn says n, like in knee.
- wr says r, like in wrap.
- mb at the end says m, like in lamb.
For the grown-up
Unlike the silent e, which changes the vowel, these letters do nothing: kn says /n/, wr says /r/, mb says /m/. Reading each pair as one unit turns them into patterns rather than one-off surprises.
They are leftovers: knee was once said with the k. The way people spoke changed and the spelling did not.
Hunt for kn, wr and mb words together in a book; the pattern sticks faster than any single word.