We're going to take a look at
some more rules for how to pronounce
words ending with silent 'e' today.
Firstly, the letters 'c' and 'g' can have
hard consonant sounds like /k/ and /g/.
However, when the word ends with a
silent 'e' it changes the pronunciation
of these consonants.
'C' and 'g' become soft consonant sounds
/s/ and /ʤ/. So it's pronounced /mais/ not /maik/
and /keiʤ/ not /keig/. Another very similar rule
is for the pronunciation of 'th'.
When a word ends with 'th' and then a silent 'e',
it changes from a /θ/ sound to a /ð/ sound.
The most common example of this
is the word 'the'.
It's pronounced with a /ð/ sound.
Some other examples include
'breath' and 'breathe' and 'bath' and 'bathe'.
These nice and easy rules should help
you when pronouncing new words.
Just remember that the silent 'e'
changes pronunciation.