English Words that End with a Silent E

Updated February 29, 2012
silent e word love on paper cups
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    silent e word love on paper cups
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Finding English words that end with a silent "e" is extremely easy because there are hundreds of them. Think of all of those four-letter words that end in an "e." Chances are, that is a silent "e." Keep reading to find a thorough list of English words that end with a silent “e,” as well as an explanation about how that “e” changes each word’s pronunciation.

Silent E Words List

Words have a silent “e” for several reasons. In most cases, the silent “e” changes the first vowel sound of the word. Take a look at these silent “e” words to see how their pronunciation changes when you take off that final “e.” You can also download and print the PDF below to keep the lists on hand.

Three-Letter Words That End in Silent E

The silent “e” is powerful enough to turn do into doe, and at into ate. See how many more three-letter words need a silent “e” to ensure that they are pronounced correctly.

ace

age

ale

ape

are

ate

awe

axe

bye

cue

die

doe

due

dye

eke

eve

eye

ewe

foe

ice

lie

lye

owe

pie

roe

rye

sue

toe

use

woe

Four-Letter Words That End in Silent E

There are many four-letter words that end in a silent “e.” Most of them are CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) that, when combined with a silent “e,” become different words with different pronunciations. This list of four-letter silent “e” words are common in the English language.

bake

bare

bate

bite

cage

cake

came

cane

case

cave

code

come

cove

cube

cute

dame

date

dime

dine

dove

doze

dude

fame

fare

fate

game

gape

gate

gave

give

hate

hope

hype

jove

jute

kite

lace

lake

late

lime

lose

love

mace

make

mane

mare

mate

maze

mete

mime

mite

mode

mope

mute

name

nape

nose

note

pace

page

pane

pike

pine

pipe

pope

ride

ripe

rite

robe

rode

rose

rune

same

shoe

take

tame

tape

time

type

wine

wise

Five-Letter Words That End in Silent E

The list of five-letter words is almost as long as the four-letter words. Many of these words include consonant blends, such as angle and spoke, and vowel teams such as biome and cause.

abase

abide

abode

above

abuse

acute

adore

anime

bible

blade

blame

blare

brave

bride

close

crane

crime

curve

drive

evoke

fluke

flume

flute

frame

gauge

goose

grace

grate

grave

gripe

grove

hence

knave

loose

mauve

moose

niece

orate

pause

peace

plane

scene

skate

slate

spite

state

stove

tease

trite

whine

wrote

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Longer Words That End in Silent E

Once you start looking for silent “e” words, you’ll find them everywhere! These longer words all have a silent “e” that changes the way you’d pronounce them.

calculate

clothe

conceive

courage

expense

extreme

fleece

grease

handle

perceive

please

preserve

receive

reserve

squeeze

stripe

turpentine

zygote

How the Silent E Works

Now that you have reviewed a number of the words in the English language ending with the silent "e," let’s review the letter’s purpose. The silent “e” might not make a sound, but it does serve specific purposes. A silent “e” at the end of a word changes its pronunciation in the following ways.

  • A silent "e" can make the short vowel before it into a long vowel. For example, in the words code and wine the "e" prevents them from being cod and win. The "e" allows them to make the long sound and say their names. (This is why the silent “e” is also known as the bossy “e.”)
  • The silent "e" can also make certain harsher sounding vowels sound softer. For example, in the words grace and age, we do not get the harsh sounds of "c" and "g" as you would in the words cat and good.

However, there are a few instances where a silent “e” doesn’t affect the way you say a word at all. If you’ve ever been confused about a mystery “e” at the end of the word, it may have fallen into these situations.

  • In words, every syllable needs to have a vowel in it. Without the silent "e," words like "handle" would violate a basic rule of English grammar.
  • English words don’t typically end in “v,” so words like perceive and above have an “e” that don’t affect their pronunciation. This rule applies to words that end in “u” as well, such as cue and true.
  • The silent "e" also prevents singular words from looking like plural words. Look at the word moose. If there were no "e" there, you would just have moos, which looks like the plural form of moo.
  • Sometimes the silent “e” has no effect on pronunciation at all. This is true in the three-letter words ore and are.
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silent letter e word list

Silent letter e word list

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Pronouncing Tricky Words Correctly

Once you understand the rules of using a silent “e,” you can pronounce hundreds of words correctly. However, it’s just one trick of many in the English language that can help you with proper pronunciation. Explore more silent letter words like words with a silent "t." Then, take a look at 100 commonly mispronounced words to clarify word pronunciation and spelling.