Year 3 — Spelling

Tricky spelling

Tell apart homophones, spot silent letters (letters we write but don't say), and use common spelling patterns.

💡Understand

A SILENT LETTER is a letter written in a word but not pronounced, like the 'k' in 'knee' or the 'w' in 'write'. HOMOPHONES sound the same but are spelled differently, like 'their', 'there' and 'they're'.

“knight, know, wrist”

The 'k' in 'knight' and 'know' is silent — we don't say it, but it's still written. The 'w' in 'wrist' is also silent. These letters often come from the word's history, even though we don't pronounce them today.

🔊 Listen — they sound the same:

🔍Spot it

Which letter is silent in this word?

Question 1

knee

💡 We write 'k' but don't pronounce it — it's silent.

Question 2

climb

💡 The 'b' at the end of 'climb' is silent — we don't say it.

Question 3

Which spelling of the homophone means 'belonging to them'?

💡 'Their' shows something belongs to a group of people.

🧠Think about it

Why might it help to remember 'their' has the word 'heir' hidden inside it (someone who inherits something), to remember it means 'belonging to them'?

✍️Try it

Choose the correctly spelled homophone.

We are going ___ the park later. (showing direction)

Question 1

Which spelling is correct for direction?

💡 This spelling shows movement towards something.

📝Practise

Choose the correctly spelled homophone or identify the silent letter.

Question 1

___ going to the shop later. (meaning 'they are')

Question 2

Put the book over ___ . (showing a place)

Question 3

Which letter is silent in 'wrong'?

Question 4

In one phrase, what do we call a letter written but not pronounced in a word?

💡 It's the second key idea explained in this lesson.

Question 5

Which letter is silent in 'gnome'?

Question 6

I ___ my homework already. (past tense of 'do')

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

The knight climbed the castle wall, knowing their enemies were waiting there, just beyond the gate.

Question 1

What silent letter appears in 'knight'?

💡 Both 'k' and 'gh' are silent in this word.

Question 2

What does 'their' mean in this sentence?

💡 It shows the enemies own something — waiting is theirs to do.

Question 3

Which homophone spelling ('there', 'their', 'they're') shows a place in the passage?

💡 Look at the word right before 'just beyond the gate'.

🏆Challenge

Can you write one sentence using 'there', one using 'their', and one using 'they're'?

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

Which letter is silent in 'listen'?

Question 2

I lost ___ keys. (belonging to them)

Question 3

Why might a memory trick help with tricky, non-phonetic spellings?