What’s the magic letter?

It’s E of course! E is everywhere. It’s the most common letter in the English language. However, not all Es are created equal. Some are special and are known as magic Es. The magic E is usually found at the end of a word. It makes no sound, but it changes the previous vowel sound from a short one to a long one, just like magic! Here are a few short words that are magically transformed by the letter E:

mat -> mate
/mæt/ -> /meɪt/

pet -> Pete
/pet/ -> /piːt/

pip -> pipe
/pɪp/ -> /paɪp/

cod -> code
/kɒd/ -> /kəʊd/

cub -> cube
/kʌb/ -> /kjuːb/

Note that a C or G changes from a hard sound to a soft sound when we add a magic E:

Mac -> mace
/mæk/ -> /meɪs/

rag -> rage
/ræg/ -> /reɪdʒ/

Some longer words also have a magic E at the end:

decorate
/ˈdekəreɪt/

compete
/kəmˈpiːt/

decline
/dɪˈklaɪn/

episode
/ˈepɪsəʊd/

absolute
/æbsəˈluːt/

So far, so good. By now you might be wondering why I’ve put all those funny symbols underneath each word. They’re IPA symbols. IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet, where each symbol represents a single sound. Because English spelling is weird – we don’t always write what we say or say what we write – knowing the IPA is extremely useful. I will talk about the IPA more in a later post.

There’s nothing particularly complicated about the magic E, but sometimes the magic just doesn’t work! In some words the E changes the vowel sound into something different to what you’d expect, and other times the E does nothing at all. Now you can hear me say twenty of the many longer words where the final E loses its magic touch:

determine
/dɪˈtɜːmɪn/

examine
/ɪgˈzæmɪn/

machine
/məˈʃiːn/

magazine
/mægəˈziːn/

purchase
/ˈpɜːtʃəs/

purpose
/ˈpɜːpəs/

promise
/ˈprɒmɪs/

opposite
/ˈɒpəzɪt/

ultimate
/ˈʌltɪmət/

delicate
/ˈdelɪkət/

effective
/ɪˈfektɪv/

negative
/ˈnegətɪv/

Except in very rare cases, words ending in V are not allowed in English. They’re prohibited, forbidden, banned. To avoid a final V, we stick an E on the end. That’s why there are lots of words ending in -ve (especially -ive) where the E isn’t magic.

service
/ˈsɜːvɪs/

police
/pəˈliːs/

lettuce
/ˈletɪs/

palace
/ˈpælɪs/

The word surface is similar (/ˈsɜːfɪs/). Don’t say face!

sausage
/ˈsɒsɪdʒ/

shortage
/ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/

Lots of other words ending in -age also have the /-ɪdʒ/ pronunciation.

college
/ˈkɒlɪdʒ/

minute (time)
/ˈmɪnɪt/

Note that minute has two definitions. As well as “60 seconds”, minute can describe something very small:
“He lives in a minute apartment in the middle of Paris.”

When we use minute to mean “very small”, it has a very different pronunciation, with a magic E:

minute (tiny)
/maɪˈnjuːt/

Unfortunately English pronunciation is irregular and there are no easy rules; you just have to practise. The more you speak and listen to English, the faster your pronunciation will improve!

Oh, and one final one that just crossed my mind:

Europe
/ˈjʊərəp/