Silent E Dropping Rule: When to Drop the E Before Suffixes

The Silent E Dilemma

Why do we write making (not makeing) but hopeful (not hopful)? Why is it dancing but danceable? Why loving but lovely?

The answer lies in one of English's most practical spelling rules: the Silent E Dropping Rule.

The Silent E Dropping Rule: Drop the silent final E when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. Keep the silent E when adding a suffix that begins with a consonant.

Rule in Action: Drop E Before Vowel Suffixes

-ING Suffix (Vowel)

Make + -ing → making (drop the E)

Hope + -ing → hoping (drop the E)

Dance + -ing → dancing (drop the E)

Write + -ing → writing (drop the E)

-ED Suffix (Vowel)

Love + -ed → loved (drop the E)

Use + -ed → used (drop the E)

Save + -ed → saved (drop the E)

-ER Suffix (Vowel)

Bake + -er → baker (drop the E)

Ride + -er → rider (drop the E)

Write + -er → writer (drop the E)

-EST Suffix (Vowel)

Nice + -est → nicest (drop the E)

Large + -est → largest (drop the E)

Rule in Action: Keep E Before Consonant Suffixes

-LY Suffix (Consonant)

Love + -ly → lovely (keep the E)

Nice + -ly → nicely (keep the E)

Complete + -ly → completely (keep the E)

-NESS Suffix (Consonant)

Like + -ness → likeness (keep the E)

White + -ness → whiteness (keep the E)

-FUL Suffix (Consonant)

Hope + -ful → hopeful (keep the E)

Use + -ful → useful (keep the E)

Care + -ful → careful (keep the E)

-LESS Suffix (Consonant)

Hope + -less → hopeless (keep the E)

Use + -less → useless (keep the E)

Why This Rule Works

1. Prevents Double Vowels

Dropping E before vowel suffixes prevents awkward double vowels:

• make + -ing → making (not makeing)
• hope + -ed → hoped (not hopeed)

2. Maintains Pronunciation

Keeping E before consonant suffixes preserves the long vowel sound:

• hope + -ful → hopeful /hoʊpfəl/ (long o preserved)
• use + -ful → useful /jusfəl/ (long u preserved)

3. Visual Clarity

The rule creates cleaner, more readable spellings.

Important Exceptions

Words Ending in -CE or -GE

Keep the E before suffixes starting with A or O to maintain the soft C/G sound:

Notice + -able → noticeable (keep E to maintain soft C)

Change + -able → changeable (keep E to maintain soft G)

Courage + -ous → courageous (keep E to maintain soft G)

Some High-Frequency Exceptions

• argue + -ment → argument (drops E unusually)
• true + -ly → truly (drops E unusually)
• whole + -ly → wholly (drops E unusually)

For Spanish Speakers

This rule is crucial for Spanish speakers because:

1. Spanish doesn't have silent E - Understanding when to drop/keep E prevents spelling errors
2. Suffix patterns differ - Spanish adds suffixes differently than English
3. Pronunciation clues - The E dropping/keeping affects how English words sound

Common Spanish Speaker Errors

• Writing makeing instead of making
• Writing hopful instead of hopeful
• Writing danceing instead of dancing
• Writing lovly instead of lovely

Quick Decision Process

When adding a suffix to a word ending in silent E:

1. Check the first letter of the suffix
2. Is it a vowel (A, E, I, O, U)? → Drop the E
3. Is it a consonant? → Keep the E
4. Special check: Does the word end in -CE or -GE and the suffix starts with A or O? → Keep the E

Practice Exercise

Apply the silent E dropping rule:

1. dance + -ing = ?
2. hope + -ful = ?
3. make + -er = ?
4. nice + -ly = ?
5. notice + -able = ?

Answers:

1. dancing (vowel suffix → drop E)
2. hopeful (consonant suffix → keep E)
3. maker (vowel suffix → drop E)
4. nicely (consonant suffix → keep E)
5. noticeable (exception: keep E to maintain soft C)

Memory Device

"Vowel Suffixes = Drop the E" "Consonant Suffixes = Keep the E"

Exception: "CE and GE keep their E before A and O"

This rule brings logic to what seems like random spelling choices. Master it, and you'll handle hundreds of English word formations correctly.

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