KS2 Spelling: Homophones, Silent Letters and the Year 5 and 6 Word List

The Year 5 and 6 spelling programme ends with patterns that no single rule can fix. Some words sound exactly alike but mean different things: aloud and allowed, principal and principle, stationary and stationery. Some keep letters we no longer pronounce, like doubt, solemn and knight. The letter string ough makes at least six different sounds. And the statutory word list for Years 5 and 6 is full of words with double letters in awkward places, such as accommodate, embarrass and necessary. This material gathers these patterns together for pupils preparing for the Key Stage 2 grammar, punctuation and spelling test.

It is based on the Years 5 and 6 section of the national curriculum spelling appendix. It covers the /iː/ sound spelt ei after c (receive, ceiling) and the exceptions seize, protein and caffeine. It also covers silent letters, the many sounds of ough (bought, rough, cough, though, through, plough) and the hyphen that joins a prefix to a root word when two vowels meet (re-enter, co-operate). A large part is given to homophones and words that are often confused. The appendix gives a tip for advice and advise: the noun ends in -ce and the verb in -se. Who's is short for 'who is' or 'who has', while whose shows belonging. Passed is the only one of past and passed that can be a verb. Words from the statutory Years 5 and 6 word list appear throughout, and the examiner's reference list includes the whole list.

The quiz has twelve questions with original sentences. You pick the homophone that fits a sentence, choose the correctly spelt word, find a silent letter, spot the exception to 'i before e except after c' and decide which prefixed word needs a hyphen. Each answer explains the meaning or pattern behind the spelling. The flashcards pair each confusing word with its meaning, so the choice becomes quick. In the practice exam, the examiner gives a sentence with a gap and a meaning clue, never the spelling itself. You type the word and say how you chose it, and you get short feedback on the words to practise at the end. The printable written sheet works like a dictation. You write missing words from clues, choose between homophones and explain why, join prefixes with or without a hyphen, sort out the sounds of ough and correct misspelt word-list words in a sentence.

The spelling paper itself asks for twenty words read aloud in sentences. Hyphens are tested in the questions paper, which is why they appear here next to the spelling patterns. The companion material on word endings covers -cious, -tial, -ance, -ible and -fer.

• Spell words with ei after c and remember the exceptions seize, protein and caffeine
• Recognise and spell words with silent letters and the different sounds of ough
• Use a hyphen to join a prefix to a root word when two vowels meet
• Choose correctly between Years 5 and 6 homophones and words often confused, using their meanings
• Spell tricky words from the statutory Years 5 and 6 word list

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the national curriculum in England: English Appendix 1 – Spelling (DfE, 2013), Years 5 and 6 (ei after c, ough, silent letters, use of the hyphen, homophones and other words that are often confused). The exam reference reproduces the statutory 'Word list – years 5 and 6' from that appendix (DfE, 2013; national curriculum in England: English programmes of study, key stages 1 and 2, updated 2014), © Crown copyright, re-used under the Open Government Licence. Test content areas follow the Key Stage 2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test framework (STA, 2016 onwards), S58–S61.