Words From Other Languages With Unusual Patterns

Notice that some borrowed words break the usual syllable rules, and check them in a dictionary.

English borrows words from many languages, and some of them keep their original spelling patterns. That means the syllable rules do not always work. For example, 'ballet' and 'buffet' come from French, so their final 't' is silent and the last syllable says 'ay'. 'Piano' comes from Italian, and its i is not a long i: pi-AN-o. 'Chorus' comes from Greek, and its ch says /k/.

When a word does not sound right after you apply the rules, think: 'Could this word come from another language? ' Then use what you hear in the sentence, ask someone, or check a dictionary, which shows how to say the word. Knowing the rules has exceptions is part of being a strong reader.

• 1Borrowed words may keep the spelling of their first language.
• 2Rules work most of the time, not all of the time.
• 3When the rules fail, use context, a person, or a dictionary.