ShortLong A word family
-ake Words
/eɪk/ — words that share the -ake pattern
The -ake family shows the silent e rule at its clearest: add e to a short-a word and the vowel changes from short /ă/ to long /eɪ/. It is usually the first CVCe family taught because the core words are common, concrete, and easy to say in a sentence.
How the -ake family works
Keep the ending -ake together, then add or change the beginning sound. Read through the whole word from left to right instead of guessing from its first letter.
13 reviewed examples
-ake word list
Begin with the shorter words. Add the second group only after blends and digraphs in those words have been taught.
Start here
After blends or digraphs
A speaker appears only where a reviewed recording is currently available. Every listed spelling has still been checked for the target pattern.
Teach the right examples first
Why this -ake pattern is useful
Teach the silent-e rule directly
When e is added to the end of a short-vowel word, the vowel often changes from short to long and the e itself stays silent. cap becomes cape; the p sound does not change, but the a does.
Start with the highest-frequency words
Cake, bake, make, lake, and take are common, concrete, and easy to use in oral sentences before adding words with beginning blends.
Add blend words once the core is secure
Brake, flake, shake, snake, and stake keep the same -ake ending while asking the learner to manage an extra beginning consonant.
Contrast short and long A directly
Pairs such as cap/cape and tap/tape are the clearest way to show what the silent e is actually doing to the vowel sound.
Keep the final e silent
Learners sometimes want to pronounce the e as a separate syllable. Remind them it changes the vowel, not adds a sound of its own.
Listening check
Listen and choose the -ake word
Question 1 of 5
Now read the same words aloud and use one in a sentence.
Explore another familyMove into connected text
Read -ake words in sentences
1Jake can bake a cake.
2Take the rake to the lake.
3Do not shake the snake.
4The brake can stop fast.
5Make a wish and wake up.
Ask the learner to underline the -ake word, decode it, and then reread the complete sentence naturally.
Spelling and pronunciation
Keep this family accurate
The final e is silent. It has one job: changing the vowel sound. Do not add an extra syllable or pronounce the e.
A common question
What are useful -ake words?
Useful -ake words include cake, bake, make, lake, rake, take, and wake. After those are secure, learners can move to brake, flake, quake, shake, snake, and stake. These CVCe words are some of the clearest examples of the silent e rule because the short-vowel partner word, such as back or tap, is easy to compare directly.
Five-minute routine
Practise without memorizing the list
Cover the list and reveal one word at a time. Say each sound, blend, then reread the word normally.
Build cake, then exchange its first sound to make another real word from this page.
Read one sentence, dictate one target word, and ask the learner to explain which letters spell the shared ending.
Ready-to-print practice
Print this -ake word lesson
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