English · Stage 3
Magic e
Phonics — a silent e at the end reaches back and makes the vowel say its name: cap→cape, kit→kite, hop→hope
✦ English📘 Stage 3 · S3⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 7–8★ Free to start
I can read words with vowel digraphs and the split digraph, as in cake.
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Kavi and the Magic e
"Watch this!" says Kavi the owl. "I have a silent e that hides at the end of a word. You don't say it — but it's magic! It reaches all the way back over one letter and taps the vowel: wake up and say your name! So cap becomes cape, kit becomes kite, and hop becomes hope. The short vowel grows into a long one. Let's catch the magic e!"
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What your child will learn
1Add a magic e — the vowel says its nameTap the short word, then the magic-e word. Hear how the vowel wakes up and says its own name.
2How the magic e worksA magic e sits at the end and does not make its own sound. It jumps back over one letter and makes the vowel long — this is called a split digraph (a–e, i–e, o–e, u–e).
3The -ake magic-e familyThese words all use the split digraph a–e and end the same way, so they rhyme. Tap each one and listen for the long /ā/.
4Does the word have a magic e?
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A peek inside
Read this word: c – a – k – e. There's a magic e at the end!
silent e → the a says long /ā/ → c · ā · k
Try this at home: Add a magic e to 'cap'. What new word do you get?
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of English · Stage 3 · S3 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.