Advanced Consonants

What are Advanced Consonants?

Advanced consonants introduce an important shift in reading development: consonant letters can spell different sounds depending on the word and sometimes a consonant may be silent.

Up to this point, children have practiced reading words where consonants behave in predictable ways (for example, c making the /k/ sound and g making the /g/ sound). In this unit, students learn several new consonant spellings and sound patterns, including:

• Silent letters, such as:

  • kn as in knock

  • gn as in gnaw

  • wr as in write

  • mb as in lamb

• New ways to spell familiar sounds, such as:

  • ph spelling /f/, as in phone

  • c spelling /s/ in words like city or face

  • g spelling /j/ in words like giant or edge

Children also learn that consonant sounds can change depending on the letters that follow, such as how c or g sound different before certain vowels.

What an Advanced Consonants Lesson Might Look Like

In an advanced consonants lesson, your child’s teacher will help them recognize new consonant patterns and apply them while reading texts designed specifically to practice each skill.

Students begin by practicing new consonant sounds or silent letter patterns in a Hoot Wise Words book, then read a Hoot Decodable passage that reinforces those patterns. Together, these activities give children repeated practice with advanced consonants in both isolated words and connected text.

Why this Skill Matters

Advanced consonants help children unlock a large number of new words by learning that consonants can change sound or be silent based on spelling patterns. This skill gives them greater flexibility when reading more advanced texts with unfamiliar words.

Resources Used in Lesson to Teach Advanced Consonants

Hoot Wise Words | /s/ c, ce and nce

Hoot Decodables | Count Twice