Where other vowels that are placed at the end of a syllable are always [long](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.09), the e requires a second look.
Important rule:
an unstressed 'e' is always a 'mute e' [ə]
A mute e is pronounced as English 'e' in 'waited': [ə].
This is slightly distressing, as it is difficult for non-native speakers to determine where the stress lies. However, good dictionaries indicate the position of the stress. In this chapter, the stresses of all words that contain open _e_'s will be underlined.
In the following examples, the stressed syllables are underlined and the mute e's are bold. It goes without saying that stressed e's can be both long or short.
v e rkenn e n | to explore | werk e lijk | really
wet e nd e | knowing | rek e n e n | to calculate
g e vang e n | imprisoned | bed e l e n | to beg
b e treur e nswaardig | deplorable | b e del e n | to assign, to distribute
Rule of thumb:
a single, open _e_ at the end of a word is _always_ mute.
Examples: g e woont e (habit), waard e (value), Bien e k e (that's me), lengt e (length), lent e (spring)
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