Basic Details
Word: Silently
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: Without making any sound or without speaking.
Synonyms: quietly, noiselessly, soundlessly
Antonyms: loudly, noisily
How to Spell Silently
Syllables: si - lent - ly
Tricky part: The middle is -ent, not -ant, so silantly is wrong. Nothing is added before ly: silentely has one e too many.
Watch out for: silantly, silentely, silenly
Memory tip: The letters of silent can be rearranged to spell listen, and you must be silent to listen. Fix silent in your mind before the ly goes on.
Usage Examples
Example 1: We stood silently for two minutes on Martyrs' Day.
Example 2: Snow fell silently on the pine trees all night.
Example 3: The thief slipped silently out of the back door of the shop.
Fun Fact
India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra, made by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913, was a silent film with no recorded speech.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word silently as used in the sentence:
The cat crept silently along the wall towards the pigeons.
a) quietly
b) softly
c) stealthily
d) noisily
Show answer
d) noisily. A cat moving noisily would scare the pigeons off; quietly, softly and stealthily all describe its silent creeping.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
s_l_ntl_
a) e, e, y
b) i, e, i
c) i, a, y
d) i, e, y
Show answer
d) i, e, y. Think of silence: si-len, with an i and then an e, and the adverb ends in y.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence hides a jumbled word. Unjumble it and choose the word:
The children filed tlneslyi into the exam hall and took their seats.
a) silently
b) listlessly
c) saintly
d) sullenly
Show answer
a) silently. Eight letters with two l's and an e but no u or a: that is silently and nothing else.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these can be done silently?
a) shouting a slogan
b) reading in your head
c) blowing a whistle
d) ringing a school bell
Show answer
b) reading in your head
2. Which word is closest in meaning to silently?
a) suddenly
b) brightly
c) noiselessly
d) happily
Show answer
c) noiselessly
