A_E Magic E: Word List & Practice
A_E Magic E words follow one repeating pattern, so a child who can read one of them has most of what they need to read the rest. This list has 20 grade 1-level words plus 5 decodable sentences. Practice them out loud — the most common error is reading the final e out loud, so 'cake' becomes 'cak-ee'.
- cake
- make
- lake
- name
- game
- same
- gate
- late
- cape
- tape
- made
- wave
- cave
- plate
- snake
- grape
- skate
- shape
- flame
- brave
Practice these words out loud
Have your child read these sentences to Word Wiz AI. It listens and shows exactly which sounds they missed, not just whether the word was right. Free, no sign-up needed to try.
Try these out loudDecodable Sentences
Every word in these sentences uses sounds your child has already learned, so they can be read by decoding rather than guessing.
- Jake made a cake for the game.
- A snake slid past the gate.
- Dave can skate fast on the lake.
- Tape the cape on the crate.
- It is late, so we must save the rest.
How to Teach A_E Magic E Words
A_e is usually the first magic e pattern children learn, and for good reason. The long A sound is very different from the short A in 'cat,' so a child can hear the change clearly when 'cap' becomes 'cape' or 'mad' becomes 'made.' Start with pairs like those before handing over a list of a_e words on their own, since the contrast is the whole lesson.
Watch for the e being read out loud ('cak-ee') or the vowel staying short ('cak' for 'cake'). Both mean the child is reading left to right without looking ahead to the end of the word. A habit that helps is running a finger to the end of the word first, checking for an e, and only then going back to read it.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Reading the final e out loud, so 'cake' becomes 'cak-ee'
- Keeping the short A, so 'made' comes out as 'mad'
- Mixing up a_e and ai, which make the same sound but are spelled differently