Vowel-Consonant-e Syllables

Read syllables where a silent e makes the vowel before it long.

A vowel-consonant-e syllable, often called VCe, has a vowel, then one consonant, then an e at the end. The e is silent, but it reaches back over the consonant and makes the first vowel say its name. Compare 'kit' and 'kite'. Adding the silent e changes the short i to a long i. VCe syllables also appear inside longer words. Look at 'cupcake'. Split it cup-cake. 'Cup' is closed, so the u is short.

'Cake' is VCe, so the a is long and the e is silent. Another example is 'invite': in-vite. When you spot an e at the end of a syllable with one consonant before it, try the long vowel sound first.

• 1VCe = vowel, one consonant, then a silent e.
• 2The silent e makes the earlier vowel long.
• 3VCe syllables often sit at the end of longer words: cup-cake, in-vite.