LumiraWhat is a silent letter?
Some English words keep a letter that is no longer pronounced, usually for historical reasons. Readers need to recognise the pair on sight so they do not try to sound out a letter that is not there.
gn words (silent g) — word list
Every word below appears in the decodable book on this page, so a reader who practises the list will meet the same words again in context.
- design
- gnat
- gnaw
- gnome
- sign
Free decodable book: Decodable GN (Silent G)
This is an original Lumira decodable reader, written so that a child can sound out nearly every word using patterns they have already been taught. The full text is below — read it here, or open it in the app to read it together with the words highlighting as you speak.
Mia had a gnome. Leo had a gnome too. They like it.
Leo saw a gnat. Mia saw a gnat too. They like it.
Mia and Leo did not gnaw the bone. The dog did gnaw it.
Leo had a sign. Mia had a sign too. They like it.
Mia made a design. Leo made a design too. They like it.
Gnome gnat gnaw sign design. Mia and Leo like them all.
How to teach it
- Say the sound on its own first, several times, before showing any letters.
- Show the spelling and name it explicitly — tell the reader what it says rather than asking them to work it out.
- Blend two or three words from the list together, out loud, slowly.
- Read the decodable book above, where the pattern repeats in real sentences.
- Come back to it two or three days later. Cumulative review is what makes it stick.
Lessons that practise this pattern
gn (silent g)
Read gn as /n/, the g is silent
Word sort: silent wr vs gn
Sort silent-first-letter words by wr or gn