Silent E Worksheets – Free Printables!

🤫 What Are Silent E Words?

Silent E words (also known as Magic E, Bossy E, or VCe words) are words that follow this pattern: Vowel_Consonant_e.

When a word follows the the VCe pattern, the ‘e’ will stay silent. But the e still has a VERY important job! The Silent E’s job is to make the vowel say its name (or its long sound).

This is why these words are sometimes called Silent e (the e says silent), Magic e (the e magically makes the vowel change it’s sound from short to long) or Bossy e (that mean, old, Bossy e makes the vowel change its sound from short to long).

👉 Get our Silent E Words List (with 7 picture match worksheets!) for more practice!

Teaching Silent E Words

When I took the Orton Gillingham Classroom Educator training from OGA, I was told that the explicit teaching of VCe words provides “the most bang for your buck.” So many words follow this pattern that if kids can master it, they’ll have the tools needed to decode many words in our language!

👉 Remember, our goal isn’t just to read the words just on these worksheets, but to read any word they come across with ease and accuracy!

These pdf worksheets are designed for students grades 1-3 to practice identifying and reading one-syllable VCe words.

The words include all five vowels, so use them once you’ve taught long a, e, i, o, and u (with the two sounds of long u). They also include some consonant blends and digraphs, so be sure you’ve taught those as well.

We included some words that don’t follow the VCe pattern, so kids will really need to have their thinking caps on! They’ll need to be able to flex between long vowels (VCe) and short vowels (CVC), ensuring that they are noticing the patterns and able to read the words correctly.

In order to train students to recognize the VCe pattern, teach them to mark up words following these steps:

1. Mark the vowel with a V. Mark the consonant with a C. Mark the ‘e’ with an e.
2. If the word follows the VCe pattern, put a slash over the e. This reminds us that we don’t hear the letter, but we need to see it. It has an important job!
3. Mark the vowel with a macron, the long vowel mark.
4. Read the word, sound by sound. Then blend it back together, listening for the long vowel sound in the middle.

👉 Repeated practice marking words helps train children to notice patterns in words. The worksheets have enough space between the words for kids to mark them.

Although the instructions do not say to mark the words, feel free to require your students to do so! The extra practice will only help solidify these concepts.

Related Resources

• Silent E Words List with 7 Picture Match Worksheets for targeted practice.
• Magic Wand Silent E Printables – Kids flex between short and long vowel sounds by adding the silent e on the magic wand.
• How to Teach Closed Syllables. If you find students are having a hard time flexing between long and short vowels, use this resource to help firm up short vowel sounds.
• CVC Words with Pictures & Worksheets. Another helpful review if firm up the concept of CVC words.
• 100 First High Frequency Words