Check the word ending in context
A silent letter is a spelling fact about a particular word and context. It is not a command to remove every final consonant. Compare petit when said alone with petite: the written ending changes, and so does the spoken form. Learn those forms as a pair rather than adding a consonant to every masculine adjective.
Connected speech introduces another question. Some normally silent consonants appear in liaison, but the connection depends on the words and grammar. Check a complete example such as les amis rather than linking every final letter before a vowel.
Use the final-consonant guide when the issue is whether a consonant is pronounced at all, and the liaison guide when the next word changes the connection. Keep a dictionary model beside unfamiliar words instead of guessing from a mnemonic.
Why this target matters
This foundation cluster helps a beginner understand why French spelling and French speech do not behave like English. It keeps the theory practical: one visible pattern, one sound target, one short speaking routine. In this lesson, success means that you can hear the target, produce it in petit, and keep it clear in a short phrase. That progression matters because a sound that works only in isolation is not yet reliable speech.
Mouth position and airflow
Check the actual ending in the model. Some words finish on a vowel and others on a pronounced consonant.
Three examples to practise
| Round | French target |
|---|---|
| 1 | petit |
| 2 | vous |
| 3 | grand |
Common mistakes and a correction
- Avoid pronouncing final t in petit.
- Avoid making silent letters too heavy.
- Avoid forgetting that liaison can reactivate a consonant.
Five-minute practice ladder
- Choose one word with a silent final letter.
- Say the word without the final consonant.
- Add the next word.
- Check whether liaison changes it.
- Repeat in a sentence.