What spelling pattern in 'make' indicates a long 'a' sound?

What spelling pattern in 'make' indicates a long 'a' sound?

• A. Ai
• B. Ea
• C. Ay
• D. Ake

Answer: (D)

The long-vowel sound is often shown by a silent final e, which makes the preceding vowel say its name. In make, the a is followed by a consonant and a silent e, so the a sounds like its long name /eɪ/. The group “ake” signals this long-a pattern, as in cues like bake or take—the final e keeps the a from being the short sound. Other spellings like ai, ay, or ea can also spell a long a in different words (rain, day, great), but those patterns aren’t present in make. Here, ake is the pattern that produces the long a.

The long-vowel sound is often shown by a silent final e, which makes the preceding vowel say its name. In make, the a is followed by a consonant and a silent e, so the a sounds like its long name /eɪ/. The group “ake” signals this long-a pattern, as in cues like bake or take—the final e keeps the a from being the short sound.

Other spellings like ai, ay, or ea can also spell a long a in different words (rain, day, great), but those patterns aren’t present in make. Here, ake is the pattern that produces the long a.