---as for instance _wtelthfs_.

A word consists of one or more syllables to which some definite
meaning is attached.

The difficulties of spelling and pronunciation arise largely from the
fact that in English twenty-six letters must do duty for some forty-two
sounds, and even then several of the letters are unnecessary, as for
instance _c,_ which has either the sound of _s_ or of _k_; _x,_ which
has the sound either of _ks, gs,_ or _z_; _q,_ which in the combination
_qu_ has the sound of _kw_. All the vowels represent from two to seven
sounds each, and some of the consonants interchange with each other.

The Sounds of the Vowels.---(1) Each of the vowels has what is called
a long sound and a short sound. It is important that these two sets
of sounds be fixed clearly in the mind, as several necessary rules
of spelling depend upon them. In studying the following table,
note that the long sound is marked by a s t r a i g h t l i n e
o v{colon : aft}er the letter, and the short sound by a
c u{g}r{a}ve {accent mark ` }.

_Long Short_
a:te a`t
ga:ve ma`n
na:me ba`g

the:se pe`t
m:e te`n
(com)ple:te bre`d

ki:te si`t
ri:ce mi`ll
li:me ri`p

no:te no`t
ro:de ro`d
so:le To`m

cu:re bu`t
cu:te ru`n
(a)bu:se cru`st

scy:the (like)ly`

If we observe the foregoing list of words we shall see that each of the
words containing a long vowel followed by a single consonant sound ends
in silent _e_. After the short vowels there is no silent _e_.
In each case in which we have the silent _e_ there is a single long
vowel followed by a single consonant, or two consonants combining to
form a single sound, as _th_ in _scythe_. Such words as _roll, toll,_
etc., ending in double _l_ have no silent _e_ though the vowel is long;
and such words as _great, meet, pail,_ etc., in which two vowels
combine with the sound of one, take no silent _e_ at the end.
We shall consider these exceptions more fully later; but a _single long_
vowel followed by a _single_ consonant _always_ takes silent _e_ at the
end. As carefully stated in this way, the rule has no exceptions.
The reverse, however, is not always true, for a few words containing
a short vowel followed by a single consonant do take silent _e_;
but there are very few of them. The principal are _have, give,
{_(I)_ }live, love, s