Free printable silent e — long i phonics worksheets. Four practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, and rapid naming chart.
Grade: 1stPhase 3: Long Vowels & Silent EPattern: i_e (magic e / silent e making long I)
bikehikelikekitebitehideridesidewidelineminepine
1 Decodable Reading Passage
A short, decodable story embedding silent e — long i words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.
Rose Plays a Game
Skill: Silent E — Long I • Sight Words: the, is, a, and, to, was, it, she, he, they, said, have
Coloring page included in PDF
It was time to play a fun game. "I will hide," Rose said to Pete. "I will look away until five," Pete said.
Rose ran to find a good spot. She went past a wide pine. Then she saw a thick green vine on the side of a big rock. She got in back of it. "This spot is mine," she whispered with a big smile.
Pete went out to look. He took a quick hike past the gate, but he did not see Rose. He stood still to think. Where could she be?
Then Pete saw her. "I see you!" Pete yelled.
Rose came out from the vine. "I like this game," she said. "Now it is my time to look!"
Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: Real Words vs Nonsense Words.
Real Words
Nonsense Words
bike
hike
like
kite
bite
hide
ride
side
wide
line
smile
mibe
tine
pive
fibe
dife
gipe
nive
rike
zine
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3 Phrasing Practice Cards
Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.
the bike on hike
a hike in like
the like and kite
a kite with bite
the bite on hide
a hide in ride
the ride and side
a side with wide
the wide on line
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4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)
Read each word in the grid as quickly as you can. Time yourself and try to beat your best time!
Decodable RAN Chart — Silent E — Long I
bike
time
wide
bike
bite
wide
time
wide
time
bite
vine
bike
vine
vine
bite
bike
Target words: bike, bite, wide, vine, time
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5 Word Search
Find and circle the silent e — long i words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce silent e — long i word recognition.
Silent E — Long I Word Search
B
H
K
H
I
C
S
R
A
R
L
I
L
L
I
K
E
I
N
R
I
B
T
E
X
D
W
P
D
L
N
I
D
E
O
F
R
I
O
E
E
K
M
H
G
R
I
N
D
G
N
I
I
B
I
B
D
E
Y
E
P
T
N
O
M
K
E
B
S
J
N
E
E
B
S
E
E
U
A
U
E
B
I
K
E
H
I
D
E
W
Q
J
O
I
Y
Y
N
U
V
Y
BIKEBITEHIDEHIKEKITELIKELINEMINEPINERIDESIDEWIDE
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📖 Decodable Readers for Silent E — Long I
Next step: once your child can sound out these words, have them read a matching decodable mini-book. Each Silent E — Long I reader is a printable story + coloring page using only sounds they've learned.
The long I sound, as heard in words like "bike" or "time," presents a crucial step in early phonics, often introduced after short vowels and consonant digraphs. This specific pattern, i_e, where a silent 'e' at the end of a word changes a short 'i' to a long 'i', can be particularly challenging for young learners. Children frequently misread "bike" as "bik" or "bite" as "bit," overlooking the transformative power of the silent 'e'. They may also struggle with knowing when to apply the long I rule versus a short I, especially when encountering new words. The visual cue of the 'e' at the end, despite not making its own sound, requires careful attention and consistent practice to master.
Our Printable Scholar worksheets provide focused practice for the i_e long I pattern. Begin with the decodable passage from "Mike's Hidden Bike," encouraging children to identify and sound out words like "ride," "hide," and "mine." Follow up with the word sort, where students categorize words into long I (i_e) and other patterns, reinforcing the visual recognition of the silent 'e'. The phrasing cards help build fluency by grouping target words like "five bikes" or "wide smile," promoting natural reading rhythm. Finally, utilize the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart to build speed and automaticity, quickly identifying words such as "kite," "dive," and "line," solidifying their understanding of this important phonics rule.
