How to know how to pronounce an "-e" ending based on spelling?

Solution 1:

The ‘e’ of Skype is not pronounced. In apache and Adobe it’s pronounced /i:/, that is, like the vowel sound in ‘sea’. The pronunciation of proper nouns cannot be predicted, but in common nouns, a terminal ‘e’ often indicates the way in which a preceding vowel is to be pronounced. The ‘e’ of bite, for example, shows that it is pronounced differently from bit.

Solution 2:

There is no hard and fast rule for pronunciation of any English words. Pronunciation also varies regionally, so not only do you just have to know how to pronounce each word, you just have to know how to pronounce it in each part of the world in which you find yourself.

For example, the U in jaguar is pronounced like a long U in the UK whereas it is pronounced like a W in North America.

Solution 3:

I, a nonnative speaker, would pronounce Skype like Sky with a trailing p = sky - p. That leaves a - pa - che and a - do - be as words with a pronounced -e.

All other words have less than three syllables, so I would keep the -e silent.

However, the silent -e clearly has its sense: see bit vs. bite.

Solution 4:

There are two different issues.

1) Names have an extra <e> to distinguish them from lexical words. Or you can say that these English names came from an era where final <e> was pronounced; and that these spellings have not changed.

Low vs. Lowe's home improvement stores
win vs Wynne Godley (Cambridge Economist)
row vs Nick Rowe
crown vs Crowne Plaza
born vs Bourne Shell
berk vs Edmund Burke
brown vs Browne
town vs Towne
west vs Weste
lock vs John Locke
keen vs Keene
wane vs Wayne
took vs John Tooke
wolf vs Wolfe

Other times, you can see a geminated consonant digraph to distinguish from a lexical word. You can also provide another ad hoc explanation that geminated consonants close syllables with historically short vowels.

or vs Orr
star vs Starr
car vs Carr
bar vs Barr
grim vs Grimm

2) Words with a bit of foreignisms.

Japanese: karate
Spanish: coyote, adobe, abalone, guacamole, machete, tamale, apache
French: cliche, resume, café, saute, forte, passe, protege,canape, toupee, touche, Renee, Rene
Italian: provolone
Greek: hyperbole, epitome, acme, sesame, catastrophe, apostrophe, syncope, apocope, Aphrodite, Nike, Penelope, Calliope, Terpsichore, Gethsemane, Persephone, Tempe
Latin: anemone, simile, recipe, acne, agave, extempore
Portuguese: curare

Some of these French ones may have <é> instead of <e>.

Places/Names:

Barre, VT
Boise, ID (vs. Boise, OK)
Duarte, CA
Elbe, WA
Lac Courte, WI
San Jose, CA (vs. San Jose, IL)
Tempe, AZ
Tulare, CA
Yosemite National Park, CA
Penske Truck Rental
Ryan Lochte, Olympic Swimmer
Ben Bernanke, Fed Chairman