Lesson 20: Short & Long I (Silent Letters gh & b)

SPELLING & PHONICS STANDARD: RF.2.3 / RF.3.3 • SHORT & LONG I • SILENT LETTERS STUDENT WORKSHEET

Name:

Date:

Class / Grade:

Score:

Phonological Study: Contrast Short ĭ in wish, spring with Long ī in wild, sight, climb. Discover silent letters gh and b.

SHORT ĭ, LONG ī & SILENT LETTERS

1. Copy these words carefully. • 2. Spell them orally.

Read each word aloud, articulate the vowel sound clearly, and copy neatly on the guideline below:

Col 1 • Short ĭ Closed

wish

miss

cling

spring

Col 2 • Long ī (-ld & -igh)

wild

child

high

sight

Col 3 • Long ī (-ight & climb)

night

right

might

climb

3. Write them neatly from dictation and put the proper mark over each i.

Listen as your teacher dictates the 12 words. Write each word, then place a breve ( ĭ ) or macron ( ī ) over each letter i:

10.

11.

12.

Phonological Discovery Questions (Silent Letters)

Analyze the spelling of the 12 words above and write your answers accurately:

1. What sound has gh in any of the above words?

Ans. The letters gh have

(they are

2. Find another silent letter:

Ans. In the word

, the letter

is silent.

💡 Phonics & Spelling Rules to Remember

📌 1. Short ĭ in Closed Syllables

In closed syllables ending in -sh, -ss, -ng, vowel i makes the short lax sound /ɪ/ (wish, miss, cling, spring). Marked with a breve: ĭ.

📌 2. Long ī in -ld & -igh Words

Vowel i represents long /aɪ/ before -ld (wild, child) and in trigraph -igh/-ight (high, sight, night, right, might). Marked: ī.

📌 3. Silent Letters 'gh' & 'b'

Silent gh: gh makes no sound in -igh words. Silent b: In climb, the final b is silent; climb rhymes with lime and time!