Magic-e family · 12 words

Words that rhyme with "drake"

The -ake family follows the classic "magic-e" rule. Every word below ends in vowel-consonant-e, where the silent e at the end pulls the vowel back to say its own name — a long-a (/eɪ/, as in "play") sound. "drake" is the family's anchor word.

How magic-e shapes "drake"

In a CVCe word like "drake", the final e is silent — its only job is to reach back across the consonant and tell the vowel to say its long sound. Cover the e with your finger and you'll get a short-vowel word; uncover it and the vowel goes long. This is one of the first "tricky" patterns young readers meet because the rule depends on a letter that makes no sound of its own. All 12 words in this hub share the same -ake ending and the same long-a (/eɪ/, as in "play") sound.

Try the rhyme aloud

  1. Match it: "drake" rhymes with "cake" and "bake" — same ending, same sound.
  2. Echo it: Say "drake, cake, bake" aloud and feel how each ends the same way.
  3. Stretch it: Now add "break" — four words, one ending, all in the -ake family.

All 12 words ending in -ake

A (3)

awake 5 letters ache 4 letters ake 3 letters

B (5)

bake 4 letters break 5 letters brake 5 letters blake 5 letters betake 6 letters

C (1)

cake 4 letters

D (1)

drake 5 letters

M (1)

make 4 letters

T (1)

take 4 letters

Related rhyme families

Other rhyme families that share sounds or spellings with -ake.

Teaching this rhyme family

  • Read the silent e last: sound out the consonant–vowel–consonant first, then go back and stretch the vowel long.
  • Cover the final e — if the word turns into a short-vowel word you recognise, that confirms it's magic-e.
  • High-frequency exceptions (have, give, live, come) break the rule. Teach those as sight words rather than decode them.