Double Letters: Why English is a Hard Language to Learn

While double letters are not common in most languages, 17 letters can be doubled in English words. Even more confusing for challenged and ESL readers, double letters in English, depending on the placement of the pair, may follow different pronunciation rules.

The Nardagani Reading Program is designed to eliminate the guesswork involved in reading. The program consists of 12 simple symbols, used below letters, that allow the reader to know which sound to make. Students learn a few symbols at a time. They memorize the symbols through exercises, games, and reading books coded with the symbols. Once students learn the first few symbols, they work on sounding out words, and increase their list of sight words and double lettered words.

The most frequent double letter combinations are ee, ll, ss, oo, tt,ff, rr, nn, pp, and cc. The double letters that occur most commonly at the end of words are ee, ll, ss, and ff.

Letters that can be double (17) and examples:

A: Aaron, aardvark

B: babble, bubble, cubby, cabby, crabby

C: account, accept

D: add, sudden

E: free, pioneer, sweet, need, see

F: coffee, office, traffic, different

G. trigger, aggregate

K. bookkeeper

L: valley, doll, shell

M: summit, commit, commercial

N: bunny, innovate, questionnaire, inner

O: book, moon, spoon

P: happy, apparent, opposite

R: carry, carrot, referral

S: cross, possible, lesson

T: letters, butter, otter

U: vacuum

V: Savvy

Z: pizza, quizzical

Click here to learn more about the Nardagani Reading Program and watch Narda’s TEDx talk, “A New Way to Learn to Read English.”