Silent Letters- Pelmanism And Snap

Silent Letters- Pelmanism And Snap

Instructions for teachers
Choose the most useful words below for your students, preferably making sure that there
are at least four examples of each silent letter, e.g. four with silent T. This will usually mean
cards from more than one level below, e.g. all the Elementary ones and most of the Pre-
Intermediate ones. Cut up one pack of cards per group of two or three students.

There are two games that can be played with the same pack of cards. In pelmanism (also
called “pairs” and “the memory game”), they spread all the cards face down on the table
and try to find two which have the same silent letter, also pronouncing them correctly in
order to keep those two cards and score two points. Snap is a much faster game in which
they deal all the cards out but don’t look at their own pack, take turns turning over the top
card from their packs, then race to shout “Snap!” if the last two cards to be turned over
(their last card and their partner’s last card) have the same silent letter. If they are right
and the two words do both have the same silent letter, they can take all the cards which
have been turned over so far. If they are wrong, they have to give a card to each other
player as punishment. The game then continues. The winner is the person with the most
cards when the game is stopped.

Before, after or between those games, students can work together to find similar words
with the same silent letter, including for the same reason and/ or in the same position.

p. 1

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

Elementary

answer

island

ballet

buffet

biscuit

build

Christmas

listen

could

should

know

knife

science

scissors

sandwich

Wednesday

raspberry

receipt

what

when

where

which

white

why

wrap

wrestling

write

wrong

Pre-Intermediate

autumn

column

bomb

lamb

climb

comb

champagne

foreign

ghost

yoghurt

guarantee

guard

handkerchief

handsome

honest

hour

knee

knitting

plumber

thumb

rhyme

rhythm

whale

while

p. 2

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

Intermediate

artistically

physically

business

parliament

cabaret

sachet

castle

fasten

debt

doubt

exhausted

exhibition

fascinated

scenery

knapsack

knight

knock

knot

psychiatrist

psychology

wheel

whistle

who

whole

wreath

wrist

Upper Intermediate

acquaintance

acquire

aisle

isle

beret

gourmet

bidet

chalet

breadcrumb

tomb

campaign

cologne

condemn

solemn

critically

magically

cupboard

coup

damn

hymn

descend

scene

exhilarating

vehicle

p. 3

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

heir

honour

kneel

knob

miscellaneous

scent

muscle

obscene

pseudonym

psychic

rhetoric

rhino

whoever

wholly

wrestle

wrinkle

Advanced/ Proficiency

aplomb

catacomb

apostle

epistle

apropos

bourgeois

arraign

reign

bristle

bustle

cachet

crochet

debris

rendezvous

debtor

subtle

diaphragm

feign

ghastly

ghoul

glisten

hasten

gnarly

gnash

gnat

gnaw

gristle

hustle

jamb

limb

jostle

nestle

knack

knoll

knackered

knuckle

p. 4

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

numb

plumb

pestle

trestle

playwright

sword

pneumonia

pneumatic

psalm

pseudo

rapport

ricochet

rhapsodic

rhinestone

rhododendron

rhomboid

rustle

thistle

scintillating

scion

silhouette

vehement

soubriquet

valet

succumb

womb

whet

whey

wrangle

wrath

wreak

wreck

wrest

wretched

wriggle

wring

writ

writhe

wrung

wry

p. 5

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020