You will hold a written double consonant as one long sound and hear the difference in pairs such as eli and elli. No recording is attached to this lesson, so it teaches through spelling and mouth position.
The idea
A doubled letter inside a Turkish word is one long consonant, not two taps. Close the mouth, hold the closure for about one extra beat, then release it into the next syllable: an-ne, el-li, hat-ta. The two letters always fall on either side of the syllable break, and for t, k and p the held part is silent, so you hear a tiny gap and then the burst.
| One consonant | Doubled consonant | Syllables |
|---|---|---|
| eli | elli | el-li |
| ele | elle | el-le |
| hata | hatta | hat-ta |
| afet | affet | af-fet |
| beli | belli | bel-li |
Examples
- Annem elli yaşında.My mother is fifty years old.
- Ablam mektubu elle yazdı.My older sister wrote the letter by hand.Elle (with the hand) has two l’s and is held long: el-le. With one l, ele would be a different word.
- Dikkat et, yol kaygan.Be careful, the road is slippery.
- annemotherSay it an-ne: the tongue closes on the first n, waits a beat and opens on the second. The final e is a real vowel.
- ellififtyHold the l: el-li. With one l, eli means “his or her hand”, so the length is part of the word.
- hattaeven, in factThe t is a held stop: hat-ta. You hear a silent beat and then the release. With one t, hata means a mistake.
- affetforgive!Hold the f for a beat: af-fet. The friction goes on longer; with one f, afet means a disaster.
- belliclear, obviousBel-li has a long l. Beli, with one l, is bel plus -i: “his or her waist”.
- teşekkürlerthank you
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Saying it short changes the word: elli (fifty) turns into eli (his hand) and hatta (even) into hata (mistake). The reverse slip is as common: a single letter is never stretched, so hata and abla stay quick. Also keep the final e of anne: it is a full vowel, not silent as in English.
Try it yourself
Write the number 50 as a word. It has a doubled l.
Show answer or example answer
elli
elli: the long l is the only thing separating the number from eli, a hand, so the length is part of the meaning.
Write the everyday word for “mother”. It has a doubled n.
Show answer or example answer
anne
anne: the n is held across the break an-ne and the final e is voiced; both letters of the pair have to be heard.
Hata means “mistake”. Write the word for “even, in fact”, which doubles the t.
Show answer or example answer
hatta
hatta: the t closes the syllable hat and opens ta, which separates it from hata, a mistake.
Write the command “forgive!” to a friend. It has a doubled f.
Show answer or example answer
affet
affet: the held f sets it apart from afet, a disaster; you hear the friction last about twice as long.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Write the number 50 as a word. It has a doubled l.
Write the everyday word for “mother”. It has a doubled n.
Hata means “mistake”. Write the word for “even, in fact”, which doubles the t.
Write the command “forgive!” to a friend. It has a doubled f.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Say each pair in the table aloud, holding the doubled consonant about twice as long as the single one, then write which word of the pair you meant.