The Silent E Rule
A silent e at the end of a word can change a short vowel into a long vowel sound.
What is the silent E rule?
The silent E rule is a common English phonics pattern. When a short vowel is followed by a consonant and a final silent e, the vowel often changes to its long sound. The final e is usually not pronounced.
See what happens when we add silent e:
The short a sound /æ/ changes to the long a sound /eɪ/.
Long A
Long I
Long O
Long U
Remember: The final e is usually silent, but it often changes the vowel before it from a short sound to a long sound.
Does every word follow the silent E rule?
No. English has some common exceptions. Words such as have, give, love, come, and some do not follow the usual long-vowel silent E pattern.
Silent E Questions
Why is it called a silent E?
It is called a silent E because the final e is usually not pronounced. Even though it is silent, it can change the vowel sound in the word.
What are some silent E word examples?
Common examples include cap → cape, pin → pine, hop → hope, and cub → cube.
What is the CVCe pattern?
CVCe means consonant-vowel-consonant-e. In many CVCe words, the final e is silent and the earlier vowel has a long sound, as in cake, bike, home, and cute.