Background

The consonant l is a reliable letter in that it does not represent any sound other than the /l/ sound in words such as lip and lake. However, one l is silent when it is doubled in words such as bell and hill. It is also sometimes silent when it comes before letters k, f, d, and m appearing in the same syllable, such as in the words calf, yolk, and would. This is a difficult arrangement to remember because in other one-syllable words, such as hold, self, and milk, the /l/ is pronounced. There are other spellings of the /l/ sound. For example, the /l/ in castle is spelled tle, and the /l/ in muscle is spelled cle.