Reading and Writing with Ghost Letters

Did you know that over 60% of English words have silent letters in them?

There are some basic rules about which letters are silent before or after other letters. But… the rules don’t always work! This is all the more reason to provide plenty of opportunities for our students to immerse themselves in words with silent letters.

This set of three phonics worksheets has been created to assist your students in identifying letters that are silent. Students will color the words in the table according to the silent letters in words. Each worksheet focuses on the following set of silent letters:

• Worksheet 1 focuses on the silent letters w, g, and k.
• Worksheet 2 focuses on the silent letters h, b, and l.
• Worksheet 3 focuses on the silent letters n and t.     

Tips for Scaffolding and Differentiation

For students who may be having trouble identifying the silent letters in the words, help them count and map the phonemes in the word. How many sounds can they hear? Which letter in the word is not making any of those sounds?

Encourage fast finishers to make a new version of the worksheets using different words that contain each set of silent letters. Students can swap these with a partner once completed.

Plan for Ghost Letter Lessons Ahead of Time

In addition to independent student work time, use this set of worksheets for:

• Guided reading groups
• Lesson Introduction
• Fast finishers
• ESL Group Activities

Download the Silent Letter PDF Option, or Choose Editable

Use the dropdown menu next to the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google slides version of this resource.

This resource was created by Anna Helwig, a teacher in Arizona and a Teach Starter collaborator.