Contents
What is a lipogram without e?
A lipogram deliberately leaves one or more letters out of a text. The Oulipo definitiondescribes this principle. Here you try one letter on a sentence in your notebook, rather than attempt a novel or imitate an author.
This workshop suits a specific experiment with form. To choose between several devices, start with writing with a creative constraint. If you mainly want to put thoughts on paper, visit the journaling collection. The rule applies to the passage you select, not to the instructions on this page.
What rule should you set for capitals and accents?
Decide before writing whether you exclude only e/E or accented forms too. Our starting mode counts the e family, including é, è, ê, and ë, regardless of case. The other mode finds only unaccented e. These are stated conventions, not a way to quietly change the rule after checking.
| Workshop convention | What it finds | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| e family | e, E, and their accented forms | Review œ/Œ ligatures separately under your rule. |
| Unaccented e | e and E | Accented forms can remain: this is a different challenge. |
| Chosen passage | Title, names, and sentence if included | Notes outside the passage are not checked. |
The checker treats precomposed and separately typed accents consistently before counting. It flags œ/Œ separately rather than decide whether your rule allows them.
How can you rewrite a sentence without changing the facts?
First fix who acts, what happens, and which object is involved. Our original example starts with “Ruby set a cup on a stool.” A version without the e family is “Ruby put a cup on a stool.” The person, object, and action remain identifiable. This is one possible solution, not a model every sentence must follow.
Do not misspell words to remove a letter. If a synonym changes the action, notice the difference. Replacing “put” with “flung” would also avoid the forbidden letter but describe another action. Try a different construction, or acknowledge that you changed the facts. The vocabulary notebook can hold your attempts along with their context.
Brandon Rodriguez’s TED-Ed lesson explores creative constraints through design and science examples. It gives context for choosing a rule, rather than a tutorial for this letter checker.
For a complementary perspective, watch this video from TED-Ed.
How do you check letters in this workshop?
Paste only your chosen passage, select the convention, and run the check. An empty input is not a zero result. When letters are found, review the listed words in their sentence. When none is found, move on to meaning. Your text stays on this page; a TXT export is created only when requested, without automatic saving.
Check a short passage
Without JavaScript, use your editor’s Find tool for e, E, and the accented forms in your rule. Review œ/Œ separately, then check the facts. The examples on this page remain usable.
With this box clear, only unaccented e/E is checked.
Enter a sentence to examine its letters.
Read alsoScripting: Write your dream life to clarify what you want
What should you reread when no e is found?
Check agreement, tense, pronouns, and the information retained. An absent letter proves none of these. To work only on qualities assigned to objects, the workshop without adjectives calls for a different grammar check.
Then read your sentence without explaining the game. Can a reader follow the action? Does a roundabout phrase introduce another image? You can keep the rule, shorten the passage, or return to a free version. Reading aloud offers other ways to review, without requiring a voice recording.
Quiz
Separate the rule from the story
No e found: must the sentence be clear?
See the answer
Meaning still needs a reread. Counting does not read the facts.
Does É count in the starting mode?
See the answer
It belongs to the e family used here. The convention includes accented forms regardless of case.
Can you change a real name to meet the challenge?
See the answer
Not while claiming it is an exact reference. Fiction and exact references need different decisions.
Flip cards
Three ways to revisit a sentence
Change the wordFlip
Check what the synonym changes about the action.
Change the constructionFlip
Keep the facts while rearranging the words.
Change the challengeFlip
State the new rule; do not claim the old one was met.
Checklist
Before keeping this version
0 / 4
These boxes follow your review; they do not score your writing.
How can you continue in your notebook?
Keep the sentence that interests you and the rule you tried. For a repeated opening, continue with anaphora ; for initials arranged vertically, try a personal acrostic. These are other forms, not variations the e counter can validate.
In Miraya, Small Steps lets you choose an intention and a concrete action, then record a reflection. You could pick one sentence to revisit at your next writing session. Exploring Miraya on iPhone or on Google Play is optional; your notebook and this workshop require no account.
FAQ
Can I keep é and è?
Only if your convention allows them. This workshop’s starting mode counts them in the e family; its unaccented-e mode allows them.
Are proper names exempt from the check?
They are part of the passage if you include them. Do not alter a real reference while claiming to preserve an exact name or quotation.
Must I remove adjectives?
A lipogram concerns letters. An adjective without e can remain; writing without adjectives follows a different rule.
Does a zero result validate my text?
It describes only the requested check on the entered text. It checks neither grammar, facts, nor literary quality; ligatures still need review.
Can I use the workshop without JavaScript?
Examples and the review method remain visible. Your editor’s Find tool can replace the counter; the interactive export requires JavaScript.
Can I stop after one sentence?
One sentence is enough to compare choices. You can return to a free version while keeping track of what the constraint changed.
