Dropping Rule: Free Printables for Teaching Spelling
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Learn how to teach the Dropping Rule, a important concept that makes spelling and reading words easier and more accurate! As a bonus, get a FREE printable worksheet and mini-poster to help students master the rule and apply it automatically.
What Is the Dropping Rule?
The Dropping Rule is an important spelling rule that applies when adding a vowel suffix to base words that end in a final silent E.
If a word meets this criteria, the final silent E is dropped before adding the suffix.
For example, in words like hope, fade, dance, and little, the final silent E is removed when a vowel suffix like -ing or -ed is added.
Examples:
- hope + ing = hoping
- fade + ed = faded
- dance + er = dancer
- little + est = littlest
Rule: When spelling, drop the final silent E from the base word when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel.
How to Teach the Dropping Rule
The dropping rule is essential for spelling success. It’s typically taught after students have learned about the Silent E syllable type, including Magic E words.
📝 Spelling Instruction
A great strategy is to teach students to test a word to see if the final silent E needs to be dropped.
Teach kids to “test the word” by asking themselves these two questions:
- Does the suffix I’m adding start with a vowel?
- Does the base word end with the letter E?
If both questions can be answered with YES, then the final silent E must be dropped when spelling the word.
📖 Reading Instruction
Knowing the dropping rule is also helpful for decoding.
When decoding an unknown word, a useful strategy is to break the word down into its morphemes, or smallest units of meaning. These include prefixes, base words, and suffixes (Using word sums is a very helpful strategy for this).
Knowing the dropping rule can help kids read words like these:
- sliding = slid
e+ ing - choking = chok
e+ ed - bluish = blu
e+ ish - finest = fin
e+ est - hoping = hop
e+ ing - truer = true + er
- raked = rake + ed
Kids can use their knowledge of this rule, VCe syllables, and other spelling rules (like the doubling rule) to accurately read vowel sounds in words where the silent E is dropped.
⚠️ Exceptions to the Dropping Rule
While the final silent E is most often dropped when adding a suffix, there are exceptions to this rule:
- Preserving Soft Sounds
In some words with a soft c or soft g, the final silent E is kept to maintain the soft sound.
For example, in peaceable and outrageous, removing the E would change the pronunciation of the preceding consonant. - Distinguishing Homophones
The final silent E is sometimes retained to differentiate between homophones— words that sound the same but have different meanings.
For example, dyeing (coloring fabric) retains the E to avoid confusion with dying (passing away).
✅ Teaching Tidbit: Did you know there are 9 jobs for silent E?
📝 Using the Printables
The free resources we’ve included below are very easy to use— just print and start teaching the dropping rule!
You’ll receive a practice worksheet and a helpful graphic mini-poster to guide your students in mastering the dropping rule! Students will analyze 12 words to determine if they follow the dropping rule.
Using a checklist to “test” each word, students examine whether the rule applies. I like to have my students put check marks above each word part.
If two checks, then the final E gets dropped. If not, then the E remains. They then rewrite the full word, applying the dropping rule when needed and spelling the word accurately.
👌🏽 Not sure if your student needs instruction in the dropping rule? Use a spelling inventory to assess their current skills.
Related Resources
- Magic E Syllable Practice Worksheets
- Spelling Rules Posters – 26 No-Prep Posters
- Jobs of Silent E.
🖨 Download & Print
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➡️ More Freebies: Doubling Rule Worksheet & Mini Poster!
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