How it works
These silent e words with long u fill 4 lists, 58 words in all, sorted by the sound: u_e that says yoo, as in commute, and u_e that says oo, as in truce. Pick a list to print or test.
Read the full guide
Long u words with silent e, list by list
List 1 says yoo: refute, immune, perfume. List 2 says oo: spruce, pollute, assume. List 3 ends in ude, always oo: conclude, intrude, exude. List 4 has three syllables or more: gratitude, substitute, distribute. These words are longer than cube and mule, so they suit grades 2 to 4.
Three sheets and a spoken test
Word list prints the open list with a sentence under each word. Test sheet has numbered lines and a last page for the grown-up who reads aloud; ABC order and Missing letters come from the same words. Start test says each word, its sentence, then the word again.
- Say commute and truce aloud together: both are u_e, but only one has a y sound before the u.
Questions and answers
Why does u_e make two sounds?
After most letters, u_e says yoo, as in commute and perfume. After r, l, s, d or t it often says oo, as in truce, flume and conclude. Both count as long u.
Where are cube, mule and flute?
On our silent e word list with the other first u_e words. This page adds 58 longer ones, so a child who reads cube can go on to refute and attitude.
Why are chute and crude left out?
Each sounds the same as another word: shoot and crewed. The test reads a sentence with every word, but these lists skip such pairs so no answer is marked wrong.