Glossary · Spelling rules and patterns
What is the drop-e rule?
Definition
The drop-e rule says to drop a final silent e before adding a suffix that starts with a vowel, as in make, making and hope, hoped.
The silent e and the vowel suffix do the same job: both keep the vowel before them long. So the e isn't needed once the suffix is there. Bake becomes baking, shine becomes shiny, use becomes usable.
Keep the e before a suffix starting with a consonant: hopeful, lonely, statement. The e is still needed there because the consonant can't do its job.
There are a few exceptions worth teaching. Words ending in ce or ge keep the e before -able and -ous so the c or g stays soft (noticeable, courageous). And a few words keep the e to avoid confusion with another word, like dyeing versus dying.
In a lesson
Write hope with three cards: -ing, -ful, -ed. The student builds hoping, hopeful and hoped, dropping the e only when the suffix starts with a vowel.
Examples
Each word with its spelling units, one per sound.
- shinysh·i·n·y
- usableu·s·a·b·le
- hopingh·o·p·i·ng
Words come from our lexicon, checked against a pronouncing dictionary. Words a student sees in our assessments are left out.
Why does this matter for the record?
Errors like hopeing or hopful are both drop-e errors in opposite directions. Note which one; they need different reminders.
Rate each skill as you teach it
Needs support, Developing, Secure. The rating schedules the review and builds the report.