Why does this one little spelling pattern have so many names? I honestly don't know.
But I do know that most of us learned one reason for that final silent e: the vowel-consonant-e pattern. The e at the end makes the vowel spell its name. Cape. Kite. Rope.
It's an important pattern, and we teach it early. But it leaves us completely stuck when a student asks why have ends in a silent e. Or purse. Or soothe. None of those vowels spell their names.
It's tempting to call those words exceptions and move on.
But those words aren't exceptions. They're following rules. Just not the VCE rule.
There are at least six reasons for final silent e in English. In my latest video, I walk through all of them.
P.S. Ready to go from understanding English spelling to knowing exactly how to teach it? My Spelling Instruction That Sticks workshop is your next step. Learn more and register here.
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