The Silent GH

Understanding the Silent “gh”
The silent “gh” is a digraph (two letters that work together) that appears in many English words. In these cases, the “gh” doesn’t make any sound. Learning this rule can help kids improve their reading and spelling skills.

1. Common Patterns with Silent “gh”
   

• Silent “gh” After a Vowel
  When “gh” comes after a vowel, it is often silent.
  Examples:
  light, night, bright, sight, fight
  high, sigh, thigh, might, right
  Rule: The “gh” doesn’t make any sound and the vowel before it is usually long.

• Silent “gh” at the End of Words
  In some words, “gh” is silent when it appears at the end.
  Examples:
  though, through, bough, plough
  These words may have tricky pronunciations, but “gh” itself is silent.

2. Examples of Words with GH
   The following diagram shows some examples of words with gh: F sound, G sound, and silent. Scroll down the page for more examples and solutions.
   
    
   

3. Songs and Rhymes
   Gh Songs: Use songs or create simple rhymes that emphasize the silent gh.

Silent Letters: GH
How to pronounce words with the letters gh?

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Phonics with Silent GH and GH that Sounds Like F

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4. Learn other Consonant Digraphs.

Consonant Digraphs
CH Sound	PH Sound	Soft TH
Hard TH	WH Sound	PH Sound
GH Sound	NG Sound	Consonant Digraphs

Try the free Mathway calculator and problem solver below to practice various math topics. Try the given examples, or type in your own problem and check your answer with the step-by-step explanations.

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