##  [spelling: words ending in a silent “e”](/writing-tips-plus/spelling-words-ending-in-a-silent-e)

##  Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

Spelling rules vary for words formed from a root ending in silent *e*.

## Silent *e* before a suffix beginning with a vowel

The final *e* is usually dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel.

- debate, debatable
- desire, desirable
- dine, dining
- excite, excitable
- make, makable
- subdue, subduing

but

- mile, mileage

Some words, however, can either drop or retain their final *e* before a suffix beginning with a vowel (the preferred spelling in Canada is the one listed first in the list below):

- age, aging, ageing
- like, likeable, likable
- love, lovable, loveable
- move, movable, moveable
- rate, rateable, ratable
- sale, saleable, salable (US)
- size, sizable, sizeable

## After *c* or *g*

When *e* follows *c* or *g*, it is retained before the vowels *a* and *o* to preserve the soft sound of these consonants; however, it is not usually retained before *i*:

- change, changeable (**but** changing)
- courage, courageous
- gauge, gaugeable (**but** gauging)
- knowledge, knowledgeable
- notice, noticeable (**but** noticing)
- peace, peaceable
- trace, traceable (**but** tracing)

**Note:** In the case of *knowledgeable*, the spelling without an *e* after the *g* is also accepted: *knowledgable*.

## Before *i*

Note that the *e* is retained even before *i* in some cases in order to distinguish a word from a similarly spelled one or to preserve a particular pronunciation:

- dyeing
- singeing
- shoeing
- toeing

but

- routing

## Silent *e* before a suffix beginning with a consonant

Words ending in a silent *e* generally retain the *e* before a suffix beginning with a consonant:

- complete, completeness
- hope, hopeless
- waste, wasteful
- whole, wholesome

## Exceptions

The following words do not retain the *e* before the suffix *ly*:

- due, duly
- subtle, subtly
- true, truly
- whole, wholly

Also, *abridgment, acknowledgment* and *judgment* can be spelled with or without an *e* after the *g*. In Canada, the preferred spelling is as follows:

- **with** the *e*, for *abridgement* and *acknowledgement*; and
- **without** the *e*, for *judgment*.

##  Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil Writing Tips Plus

© Sa Majesté le Roi du chef du Canada, représenté par le ou la ministre des Services publics et de l’Approvisionnement
Un outil créé et mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

## Rechercher par thèmes connexes

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- [Spelling](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A496#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Vocabulary](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A500#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Prefixes and suffixes](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A500&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A509#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)

## Liens connexes

- [Writing Tips Plus](/fr/writing-tips-plus/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
- [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra)
- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)