The Drop E Rule: What It Is and How to Teach It

By Lauren Kline, M.S., CCC-SLP, A/OGA, C-SLDI

The silent e does a lot of heavy lifting in English. It tells readers to make the preceding vowel long -- think "hop" vs. "hope" or "kit" vs. "kite." But what happens to that silent e when we start adding suffixes? That's where the drop e rule comes in.

The Rule

When adding a suffix that starts with a vowel to a word ending in silent e, drop the e.

When adding a suffix that starts with a consonant, keep the e.

Two parts, one rule. Once students learn to identify whether a suffix starts with a vowel or consonant, they can apply this consistently.

How It Works: Vowel Suffixes

If the suffix begins with a vowel (like -ing, -ed, -er, -able, -ous), the silent e drops:

• hope + ing → hoping (not "hopeing")

• race + er → racer (not "raceer")

• bake + ed → baked

• love + able → lovable

• fame + ous → famous

The e drops because the vowel in the suffix can now do the job the silent e was doing -- it keeps the preceding vowel long.

How It Works: Consonant Suffixes

If the suffix begins with a consonant (like -ful, -less, -ment, -ness), the silent e stays:

• hope + less → hopeless

• care + ful → careful

• excite + ment → excitement

• safe + ty → safety

The e stays because without it, there's no vowel letter after the consonant to signal the long vowel sound.

Why This Matters for Decoding Too

Here's where it gets interesting for SLPs. That dropped e has a direct impact on how students read words -- not just spell them.

Consider the difference between hoping and hopping. One has a long o, one has a short o. The only visual cue? Whether the consonant is doubled (hopping = doubling rule) or standing alone after a long vowel (hoping = drop e rule).

If your students are confusing these kinds of words in reading or writing, they likely need explicit instruction in both the drop e rule and the doubling rule together. These two rules work as a pair.

How to Teach It

1. Start with the silent e's job. Make sure students understand that silent e makes the preceding vowel long. If they don't have this foundation, the drop e rule won't make sense.

2. Sort suffixes. Have students sort common suffixes into two columns: starts with a vowel vs. starts with a consonant. This is the decision point for the rule.

3. Build words. Give students base words ending in silent e and a set of suffixes. Have them build the new word, deciding each time: does the e stay or go?

4. Contrast pairs. Show pairs like hoping/hopping, taping/tapping, riding/ridding. Ask students to explain why one has a double consonant and the other doesn't.

5. Apply in context. Pull sentences from their reading material. Find suffixed words and trace them back to the base word. Did the e drop? Why or why not?

The Bigger Picture

This is the second of three major suffixing rules in English. Together with the doubling rule and the change y to i rule, it gives students a framework for spelling most suffixed words they'll encounter.

When students understand why the e drops -- not just that it drops -- they stop guessing and start reasoning. That's the shift from memorization to literacy.

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Lauren Kline is a speech-language pathologist and structured literacy specialist. She writes about the intersection of speech, language, and literacy at [lkslo.com](https://www.lkslo.com).