Les lettres silencieuses — When Letters Hide

Part of Silent letters and final consonants (including -ent) · Section 1 of 4

IntroductionUnit: Phonics: French Sounds and SpellingsGCSE

This introduction covers Les lettres silencieuses — When Letters Hide within Silent letters and final consonants (including -ent) for GCSE French. Revise Silent letters and final consonants (including -ent) in Phonics: French Sounds and Spellings for GCSE French with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

🤫 Les lettres silencieuses — When Letters Hide

In English we pronounce almost every letter we write. In French, final consonants love to hide. Say «grand» and the d disappears. Say «petit» and the t vanishes. But say «ils parlent» and the -ent ending completely vanishes — even though it looks like it should rhyme with «tent». This is the single biggest Read-Aloud trap on Paper 2 Speaking. Get the silent-final rule into your muscle memory and you'll sound authentically French from the very first sentence of your exam.

Practice questions for Silent letters and final consonants (including -ent)

Which group of letters is almost NEVER pronounced at the end of a French word?

  • A. d, p, s, t, x, z
  • B. c, r, f, l
  • C. b, g, m, n
  • D. a, e, i, o, u
1 markfoundation

The memory aid 'CaReFuL' helps you remember which final consonants ARE pronounced. Which answer correctly lists these letters?

  • A. d, s, t, z
  • B. c, r, f, l
  • C. b, n, p, x
  • D. g, h, j, v
1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

le dos — how is this pronounced?
'DOH' — the final -s is silent.
le chat — how is this pronounced?
'SHA' — the final -t is silent. But in 'la chatte' (female cat), the -t IS pronounced because of the added -e.

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The Silent-Final Rule — and When It Breaks

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