20 words, shortest first. Level 1 has the most common words.
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name
nice
nine
note
page
pile
pipe
pure
race
rare
rate
ride
rise
role
rule
safe
sake
sale
same
save
The spelling pattern
Every word on this list contains magic e (cake). Seeing the same letters in many words helps children spot the pattern and spell new words that follow it. Level 3 is the most challenging set.
Ways to practise
Read the list aloud, then cover each word and write it from memory.
Use the fill-in sheet below: the pattern letters are blanked out.
Sort the words by length or by where the pattern appears (start, middle or end).
Where the pattern appears
In the middle (20): name, nice, nine, note, page, pile, pipe, pure, race, rare, rate, ride, rise, role, rule, safe, sake, sale, same, save.
Sorting the words like this is a good first activity: children say each word, find the magic e (cake) letters and decide which group it belongs to. It shows that the same letters keep the same sound wherever they appear in a word.
Running a spelling test with this list
Read each word aloud, use it in a short sentence, then read it once more. Children write the word without looking. Mark the test with the list above and practise any misspelled words again the next day. Five or ten words at a time is plenty for younger children.
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Practice sheet: fill in the missing letters
name
nice
nine
note
page
pile
pipe
pure
race
rare
rate
ride
rise
role
rule
safe
sake
sale
same
save
Questions
How many words are on this list?
20 words, all containing magic e (cake). The shortest has 4 letters and the longest, name, has 4.
What does level 3 mean?
Levels sort the magic e (cake) words by how common and how long they are. Level 1 has the shortest, most frequent words; higher levels add longer and rarer ones.
What should come next?
This is the last level for magic e (cake). Try another spelling pattern from the word lists page.