Grade 6 Word Study Worksheets
English spelling has some odd habits: letters that stay silent and rules with exceptions. Here's how to handle them.
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What your child will learn: Silent Letters & Spelling Rules
- Some letters are written but never said: kn (knee, knight), wr (write, wrong), mb (lamb, thumb), gh (ghost), and the b in 'debt'.
- Plurals: usually add -s; add -es after s, x, z, ch or sh (boxes, brushes); a consonant + y becomes -ies (baby → babies).
- You may be taught "i before e except after c", but it is only a rough guide, and words like their, weird, science and height break it.
- The schwa is the lazy 'uh' sound in unstressed syllables (banana, problem, pencil). It is the most common vowel sound in English.
- When a rule and a real word disagree, the word wins. Reading widely teaches spelling better than any rule.
Sample worksheet questions
1. Which letter is silent in 'write'?
Answer: The w
2. Is "i before e except after c" always true?
Answer: No, it is only a rough guide with many exceptions
3. Name a word that breaks the i-before-e rule.
Answer: e.g. their, weird, science, height
4. How do you make 'baby' plural?
Answer: babies; the y becomes ies
5. How do you make 'box' plural?
Answer: boxes; add -es after x
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Try it at home
🧠Silent Letter Hunt: Find ten words with silent letters in a book. Which silent letter shows up the most?
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