Final 'E' and Split Digraphs
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Final ‘e’ – Words That End with ‘e’
There are many letters in the English alphabet that can make more than one sound. But some of those letters can also be silent, which means we write them, but do not pronounce them. The letter ‘e’ is special, because it isn’t only silent, but it also changes the sound of another letter in the word. This special ‘e’ has many names - it is called magic ‘e’, final ‘e’ and silent ‘e’. We also say that these words contain split digraphs. In this article we will learn everything about words that end with ‘e’ and the silent ‘e’ rule, look at multiple vowel-consonant-silent ‘e’ words, list of silent ‘e’ words and silent ‘e’ examples, as well as offer some silent ‘e’ practice.
Final ‘E’ – Definition
A silent ‘e’ or a final ‘e’ is a name for the letter ‘e’ that stands at the end of the CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word and changes the sound of the first vowel by turning it into a long vowel. Let’s take a look at one of the silent ‘e’ words examples that includes a long vowel with a silent ‘e’ or a split digraph:
In the word cape, where the letter ‘e’ is silent, the letter ‘a’ is long, which means it says its name. The word cape contains the split digraph a_e. If you remove the silent ‘e’ from this word, you get the word cap which has a short vowel. The pronunciation of the letter ‘a’ changes as well. Have a look at the table below:
| Spelling | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| cap | [kæp] |
| cape | [keɪp] |
Final ‘E’ – Rules
Let’s look at silent (final) ‘e rules. When ‘e’ is attached to the end of the word, it is silent, which means it doesn’t make a sound. It affects the first vowel and makes it say its name. When you read a CVC word with a silent ‘e’, you need to start by touching and sounding out each letter. Then find the first vowel and say its name (make it long). Read the word again with the long vowel. Have a look at these final ‘e’ syllable examples. Try to read these long vowel words with silent ‘e’ following the rules above. You can also spot split digraphs in words to help you sound them out.
| Split digraph a_e | Split digraph e_e | Split digraph i_e | Split digraph o_e | Split digraph u_e |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| take | eve | time | cone | tube |
Most words follow the final ‘e’ rule, but there are also some silent ‘e’ rule exceptions. Here is the silent ‘e’ exceptions chart, some of these are tricky words:
| Exceptions with ‘a’ | Exceptions with ‘e’ | Exceptions with ‘i’ | Exceptions with ‘o’ | Exceptions with ‘u’ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| are have |
there where |
give live |
come glove love move some |
sure |
Final ‘E’ – Lists
There are a lot of examples of silent ‘e’ long vowel words, or words that contain split digraphs, in English. Below you can find the most commonly used words with a silent ‘e’.
| Long ‘a’ with silent ‘e’ words Split digraph a_e |
Long ‘e’ with silent ‘e’ words Split digraph e_e |
Long ‘i’ with silent ‘e’ words Split digraph i_e |
Long ‘o’ with silent ‘e’ words Split digraph o_e |
Long ‘u’ words with silent ‘e’ Split digraph u_e |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ape bake brave cane cape game lake make mane plane same save shape snake take tape |
eve gene here Pete Steve theme these |
bite dice file fine kite line mice pine ride ripe shine smile tide vine wide |
bone broke cone cope home hope nose note rope rose stone stove vote |
cube cute dune flute huge June mule mute tube use |
Final ‘E’ – Summary
Today we learnt about words that contain split digraphs and end with ‘e’ and the final ‘e’ syllable. The final ‘e’ is also called silent ‘e’ or magic ‘e’.
When reading, look out for split digraphs. If you spot one, you can sound out the word with the correct split digraph sound.
Now you know a lot about split digraphs and the final ‘e’! You can recognise final ‘e’ syllables and read long vowel silent ‘e’ words list correctly. If you want more practice, watch our silent ‘e’ video for kids and try silent ‘e’ activities. If you are looking for free long vowel silent ‘e’ split digraph words worksheets, you can download silent ‘e’ worksheets in PDF on our website.
Frequently Asked Questions about Final ‘E’
Transcript Final 'E' and Split Digraphs
"I can't wait for our picnic in the field!" "Hang on, Kala, the bridge to the river is gone, how will we get across now?" "Help you, I will, for a price... answer these questions for advice." "How do we read the word m a d e?" "Mad makes mad, but what does the e do?" Let's help our friends learn about the final e and split digraphs to solve these questions. Did you know that one letter can change the sound and meaning of a word? The letter e is special because it changes the sound of vowels. Usually when you see a word, you can touch and sound out the letters to know what it is. But when e is attached to the end of a word, it is silent and does not make a sound. Sometimes we call this magic e. You might know that vowels, a, e, i, o and u can make a short or long sound. Let's take a look at an example. What sound does the vowel a make in the word cap? A in cap is short and says ă but what happens when we add e to the end of the word cap? It becomes the word cape! The a in cape is long and says ā. Here we can see a split digraph. The a and the e together are making an ay sound. You can imagine they are holding hands behind the p! When e is at the end of a CVC, or consonant-vowel-consonant word, it makes the vowel long and say its name. Now that we've learnt more about the final e and split digraphs, let's help Dee and Kala! Their first word is m a d e. Look at the whole word, do you see a vowel then a consonant then e on the end? Yes. This word contains a split digraph. Next, find the first vowel, in this word it's, a. In this word we say ay, not a, because it is a split digraph. Finally, read the word again with the long vowel, m ay d. That means this word is not mad, but made! "The word is made!" "Very well, but can you beat the next level? What is c u t e?" Let's help by exploring split digraphs again. What do we need to do first? Look at the whole word, do you see a vowel then a consonant then an e? Next, we should find the first vowel. What is the first vowel in this word? The first vowel is u. In this word we say you, not u, because it is a split digraph. The letter u makes the long sound ū. Finally, read the word again. What word should Dee and Kala answer to get across the river? C you t, or, cute! Before we see if our friends made it across, let's remember. Today we learnt about split digraphs and the final e. When reading words look at the whole word. Is there a vowel then a consonant and then an e on the end? If there is, there could be a split digraph! Next, find the first vowel. Then, say the vowel out loud to say it's name. Finally, read the word again. Now, let's see how Dee and Kala are doing. "WEEE!"
Final 'E' and Split Digraphs exercise
-
Which word is which?
HintsStart by sounding out the words yourself.
Does the word have an e on the end? If it does, there could be a split digraph.
SolutionListen to the clip to hear the correct pronunciation of the following words.
- Not is a CVC word.
- Note has a split digraph (o_e) in it.
- Pet is a CVC word.
- Pete has a split digraph (e_e) in it.
-
Can you identify the correct word?
HintsRemember, if there is an e at the end of the word, there could be a split digraph.
a_e, e_e, i_e, o_e and u_e are split digraphs.
Let's look at the words rat and rate.
Rat has the short a sound in.
Rate has the split digraph a_e in so we hear the long a sound.
Listen to the audio say rat then rate.
SolutionAll of the words you heard had split digraphs in and made the long vowel sound.
- hope with o_e in
- ripe with i_e in
- time with i_e in
-
Can you spell the words?
HintsAll of these words contain split digraphs. Which letter will always come at the end?
All of the words have e at the end.
Listen carefully to the other sounds.
Let's do an example together.
e l i n
Listen carefully. The first sound we hear is l. We know there is a split digraph in this word which must be i_e.
n must go between i and e so the correct order is line.
Solution- nose
- gate
- cube
-
How do you spell these words?
HintsFirst, say whether each word has a long or short vowel.
Long vowels sound like their letter names.
If you hear a long sound, the word has a split digraph in and will end with e.
SolutionThe words you hear are:
- name
- run
- bit
- maze
-
How do you pronounce kite?
HintsHas kite got an e on the end?
Kite does have an e on the end, it contains a split digraph.
Kite contains the split digraph i_e which makes the same sound as the word I. Can you find a word that has the i_e sound in?
SolutionThe word kite has the split digraph i_e in.
-
What are these items?
HintsListen to the words.
Can you find these items in the picture?
Say the words aloud or listen to the audio clip again.
Identify which words have long vowel sounds and which have short vowel sounds.
Words with long vowel sounds end in e, they contain split digraphs.
SolutionA mop is leaning next to the tree. A rose is next to Dee the donkey. A cake is on the picnic blanket.
Rhyming Words
The Letter S
The Letter A
The Letter T
The Letter P
The Letter I
The Letter N
The Letter M
The Letter D
The Letter G
The Letter O
The Letter K
The Letter H
The Letter E
The Letter R
The Letter U
The Letter L
The Letter B
The Letter F
The Letter J
The Letter Q(u)
The Letter W
The Letter V
The Letter X
The Letter Y
The Letter Z
Consonant Letter Sounds
Matching Letters to Consonant & Vowel Sounds— Let's Practise!
CVC Words: The Initial Consonant
CVC Words: The Middle Vowel
CVC Sounds: The Final Consonant
CVC Words
Long and short Vowel sounds
Words, Syllables & Sounds
Consonant Blends
Onsets & Rimes
Decoding: Look at the Picture
Decoding: Stretch out the Word
Counting & Segmenting Syllables
Final 'E' and Split Digraphs
Adjacent Consonants _r
The Soft C
The Soft G
Alternative Pronunciation y (I)
