Grave accent
Showing exception for Silent E rule
The grave accent mark (as in the one above e learnèd) is used to show that the e must be pronounced, usually as a short vowel - unlike how Silent E's usual pronunciation is.
It often distinguishes:
• a verb from an adjective
• an ordinary form from a poetic/literary form
| Normal Spelling | Pronunciation | Meaning | Grave Accent Form | Pronunciation | Meaning | Why the Grave Accent? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| learned | /lɜːrnd/ | Past tense of learn | learnèd | /ˈlɜːrnɪd/ | Having much knowledge; scholarly | Indicates the final -ed is a separate syllable. |
| blessed | /blɛst/ | Past tense or past participle of bless | blessèd | /ˈblɛsɪd/ | Holy; fortunate; divinely favored | Marks the adjective as two syllables. |
| aged | /eɪdʒd/ | Having reached a certain age | agèd | /ˈeɪdʒɪd/ | Old; elderly | Indicates a pronounced -ed. |
| winged | /wɪŋd/ | Having wings | wingèd | /ˈwɪŋɪd/ | Equipped with wings (often poetic or literary) | Prevents the -ed from being reduced to a single consonant. |
| dogged | /dɒɡd/ | Past tense of dog ("to follow persistently") | doggèd | /ˈdɒɡɪd/ | Persistent; tenacious | Distinguishes the adjective from the verb. |
| belovéd* | /bɪˈlʌvd/ | Loved (ordinary pronunciation) | belovèd | /bɪˈlʌvɪd/ | Dearly loved; cherished (poetic, literary, or formal) | Indicates three syllables instead of two. |
| curséd* | /kɜːrst/ | Past participle of curse | cursèd | /ˈkɜːrsɪd/ | Under a curse; doomed (literary) | Shows that -ed forms its own syllable. |