Home/Silent E/U_E Split Digraph (/juː/ & /uː/)

U_E Split Digraph Words and Practice

In words like cube, tube, and mule, the vowel letter u pairs across a consonant with silent final e to represent long u (/juː/ or /uː/).

Print Word List (3 Words) →Short vs. Silent E Sort →

Canonical U-E Decodable Words

Notice that in Elkonin sound boxes, u_e occupies a single sound box, giving 4-letter words exactly 3 sound boxes.

cube3 sounds

c/k/

u_e/juː/

b/b/

Onset: cRime: ube

tube3 sounds

t/t/

u_e/uː/

b/b/

Onset: tRime: ube

mule3 sounds

m/m/

u_e/juː/

l/l/

Onset: mRime: ule

Printable Practice

Practice Contrasting Short Vowels vs. Silent E

Reinforce split-digraph decoding with our comparative 2-column sort worksheet. Students read 12 decodable words and sort them under Short Vowel or Silent E.

Open Word Sort Worksheet →