Double letters in Spanish – Master Spanish spelling – Episode 020

Double letters in Spanish – Master Spanish spelling

Podcast episode 20 – SEE ALL EPISODES

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Today’s question comes from Tim, one of my Twitter followers.

He recently sent me a message asking: “Are there many double letters in Spanish? For example, are there many Spanish words with a double T or a double F? I don’t seem to have come across them.”

See also: Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses.

And Tim is right. Double letters are fairly rare in Spanish. And the Spanish spelling rules help a lot here.

Double letters in Spanish: overview

There are only four consonants that can be doubled up in Spanish: c – r – l – n.

Think of the word: Caroline. The consonants in the word Caroline are the only consonants that can be doubled up in Spanish: c – r – l – n.

For example, we’ve got the Spanish words:
 
acción – action
 
perro – dog
 
pollo – chicken
 
innecesario – unnecessary 

So, c – r – l – n, the consonants in the word Caroline are the only consonants that can be doubled up in Spanish.

Double letters in Spanish: pronunciation tips

Notice how the pronunciation of these double consonants is quite different from the pronunciation of the single consonants.

The double C in acción has a KC sound: acción.

Notice the difference between the CC in acción and the C in: acero – steel.

Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses

Notice the difference between:
 
polo – lollipop and pollo – chicken

Notice the difference between the double R in perro and the single R in: pero – but. Pero, perro.

And, finally, notice the difference between the single N in: inestable – unstable

and the double N in innecesario – unnecessary. Inestable, innecesario.

Double letters in Spanish: similarities

There are many words in English with a double D, F, T, S that look very similar in Spanish. But in Spanish those words always have a single consonant. For example:
 
profesor – professor
 
oficial – official
 
desaparecer – to disappear
 
asociación – association

atención – attention

All those words are spelt with a single consonant in Spanish.

Double letters in Spanish: MM > NM

What about the double M? Words that are spelt with a double M in English and look similar in Spanish are spelt with an NM in Spanish. For example: immense in English has a double M and is: inmenso, in Spanish. With an NM: inmenso.

Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses

As you may know, the Spanish spelling rules only apply to Spanish words. Words borrowed from other languages can be spelt with double consonants other than those in the word: Caroline.

For example, we have:
 
puzzle – jigsaw puzzle
 
pizza – pizza
 
hobby – hobby

Double letters in Spanish: vowels

So far we’e only looked at the consonants. But the vowels can also be doubled up in Spanish. For example, we’ve got:
 
creer – to believe
 
leer – to read
 
contraataque – counterattack
 
cooperar – to cooperate
 
el zoo – the zoo

Double letters in Spanish: recap

To recap, the only four consonants that can be doubled up in Spanish are those in the English word: Caroline. C – r – l – n.

This should make Spanish spelling a lot easier.

Find out more about my Spanish courses.