Short answer
Say a word without showing the spelling and ask learners to decide whether the written form contains a P. Then reveal the word, compare spelling with pronunciation and reuse it in context. The game helps learners notice that English spelling does not always map neatly onto sound.
In S06E16, we test words such as psychic, pneumonia and pseudonym. In each case, the initial P is written but not pronounced.
Try this in your next lesson
Learners write P or no P .
👇 Scroll down for our practical checklist or activity and download.
Listen to the whole S06E16 discussion in our podcast episode guide here🔊.
This kind of quiz works because learners have to listen first. If the word is already written on the board, the silent letter is obvious. When learners hear the word before seeing it, they have to make a prediction about the spelling.
Mix in words where P is pronounced and words with no P at all. That stops the activity becoming a pattern-spotting exercise where learners simply answer yes every time. You can also include familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary so there is some challenge without turning the game into obscure trivia.
Once the spelling is revealed, say the word again and mark the stress if useful. Ask learners what they notice and whether the silent letter reminds them of other examples. The aim is awareness, not teaching a perfect rule for every English spelling pattern.
Silent letters are a good reminder that learners sometimes need to store a word as a combination of sound, spelling and meaning rather than expecting one part to predict the others.
What is the teaching point?
The activity trains learners to notice the relationship between what they hear and what they later see. It can also make dictionary checking more purposeful because learners have already made a prediction.
Our suggested classroom adaptation of the episode discussion.
Gav and Em suggest: P or no P?
Say these words aloud without showing them: psychic, soup, pneumonia, cycle, pseudonym, newt, paper, phone.
- Learners write P or no P.
- Reveal the spelling.
- Underline any silent P.
- Practise the pronunciation once.
- Choose two words and make a sentence or question.
Answers and teacher guidance
Use psychic, soup, pneumonia, cycle, pseudonym, newt, paper and phone. No written P: cycle and newt. Silent P: psychic, pneumonia and pseudonym. Soup and paper have a pronounced /p/. Phone contains the spelling ph representing /f/; do not teach its p as an isolated silent letter.
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