Using CaRoLiNa to illustrate double consonants in Spanish

 A Visual and Mnemonic Guide for Spanish Learners

The Diccionario de la Real Academia Española defines the term geminated as follows: “Said of a consonant. It is composed of two identical parts, between which a syllabic boundary is established.”

Geminated consonants are also referred to as long or double consonants. When pronounced, they are articulated with greater duration than a single consonant. These consonants do not represent a mere orthographic repetition of the same letter, but a phonemic distinction, meaning that they alter the sound and, consequently, the meaning of the word. For example, consider the words pero (but) and perro (dog).

In geminated consonants, the double letters indicate a longer or more pronounced articulation than that of a simple consonant.

In the Romance languages, double consonants have largely lost their phonemic gemination due to linguistic evolution; however, they are still present in Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and of course, Spanish.

A common error among English-speaking students learning Spanish as a foreign language is the insertion of double consonants where they are not required. Spanish has only four consonants that can appear doubled: C, R, L, and N, forming the sequences CC, RR, LL and NN.

Other double consonants can occur in words of foreign origin, such as pizza and carrusel (borrowed from Italian), or jazz, hobby, and jogging (borrowed from English).

To aid in memorizing the double consonants in Spanish, students can create mnemonic cards to help recall them. The word CaRoLiNa can be a useful tool in this process, reminding learners that Spanish contains only four double consonants.

This article compiles a selection of geminated words along with their English translation. They are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate learning. 

CC – Words with Double C 

The number of words in Spanish containing a double “c” can vary. The Diccionario de la Real Academia Española records more than 400 such words, the majority of which end in -cción and their corresponding plurals -cciones.

Words with the double “cc” sequence generally derive from nouns ending in -tion(nem) in Latin or from verbs ending in -ctar. 

Nouns  

abstracción	abstraction	accesibilidad	accessibility
acceso	access	accesorio	accessory
accidente	accident	acción	action
accionista	shareholder	adicción	addiction
afección	affection	atracción	attraction
coacción	coercion	colección	collection
coleccionista	collector	conducción	conduction
constricción	constriction	construcción	construction
contracción	contraction	contradicción	contradiction
convicción	conviction	corrección	correction
deducción	deduction	defección	defection
desinfección	disinfection	destrucción	destruction
detección	detection	drogadicción	drug addiction
elección	choice	erección	erection
estupefacción	stupefaction	exacción	exaction
extracción	extraction	extradicción	extradition
facción	faction	ficción	fiction
flaccidez	flaccidity	fracción	fraction
imperfección	imperfection	inacción	inaction
incorrección	incorrectness	inducción	induction
infección	infection	infracción	infraction
insatisfacción	dissatisfaction	inspección	inspection
instrucción	instruction	insurrección	insurrection
interacción	interaction	intersección	intersection
introducción	induction	inyección	injection
jurisdicción	jurisdiction	lección	lesson
liposucción	liposuction	obstrucción	obstruction
occidente	occident	occisión	killing
occiso	deceased	perfección	perfection
predicción	prediction	predilección	predilection
producción	production	protección	protection
proyección	projection	putrefacción	rotation
reacción	reaction	recolección	collection
reconstrucción	reconstruction	redacción	writing
reducción	reduction	refacción	repair
reproducción	reproduction	resurrección	resurrection
sección	section	seducción	seduction
sustracción	subtraction	traducción	translation
transacción	transaction

 Adjetives 

accidentado	rough	accidental	accidental
aleccionador	instructive	inaccesible	inaccessible
infeccioso	infectious	inspeccionado	inspected
occidental	western	occiso	deceased

 Verbs 

acceder	to access	accionar	to actuate
inspeccionar	to inspect	miccionar	to urinate
seleccionar	to select	seccionar	to have a section

 

RR – Words with Double R 

It is important to remember that the double “rr” in Spanish appears only within a word and between two vowels to represent the trilled (multiple vibration) sound.

The Diccionario de la lengua Española records more than 1,000 words containing “rr.” However, this number increases if derivatives, diminutives, and verbal conjugations are taken into account. 

Nouns 

arroyo	stream	arruga	wrinkle
barriga	belly	barro	mud
borrador	draft	barrio	district
carro	car	correa	belt
carrera	race	error	error
ferrocarril	railroad	gorra	cap
guerra	war	guitarra	guitar
jarra	jug	parrilla	grill
perro	dog	serrucho	saw
tarro	jar	torre	tower
terror	terror	tierra	earth

 Adjectives 

agarrado	clinging	aterrizado	grounded
aterrador	terrifying	arrebatado	snatched
arriesgado	risky	borroso	blurry
cerrado	closed	corriente	current
corrosivo	corrosive	errante	wandering
guerrero	warrior	horrible	horrible
horroroso	horrifying	irritante	irritating
parroquial	parochial	perruno	doggy
terrible	terrible	serrano	highlander

 Verbs 

ahorrar	to save	agarrar	to grab
acorralar	to corner	aterrizar	to land
arrollar	to roll	arremeter	to attack
arrojar	to throw	arruinar	to ruin
aterrarse	to terrify	aferrarse	to cling
arrullar	to coo	arrepentir	to regret
borrar	to erase	cerrar	to close
correr	to run	correrse	to move
corretear	to scurry	derribar	to knock down
encerrar	to lock	ocurrir	to happen
perrear	to twerk	recurrir	to appeal

 

LL – Words with Double L 

This combination occurs between vowels and at the beginning of a word. According to the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española, there are between 1,500 and 3,000 words containing a double “ll” across nouns, adjectives, and verbs. However, if derivates, verbal conjugations, and diminutives are included, this number can rise to more than 10,000 words, a considerable figure. Let us examine some examples. 

Nouns 

botella	bottle	bolsillo	pocket
cabello	hair	castillo	castle
calle	street	caballo	horse
cuchilla	blade	estrella	star
gallo	rooster	gallina	hen
llama	flame	llave	key
muralla	wall	lluvia	rain
milla	mile	orilla	shore
pollo	chicken	orgullo	pride
repollo	cabbage	rodilla	knee
semilla	seed	sello	stamp
tallo	trunk	valla	Fence

 Adjectives 

amarillo	yellow	anillado	ringed
bello	beautiful	brillante	bright
cabelludo	haired	colmilludo	tusked
llano	flat	mellado	notched
millonario	millionaire	orgulloso	proud
sencillo	simple	villano	villain

 Verbs 

ahullar	to howl	apellidarse	to be named
batallar	to battle	bullir	to boil
destallar	to burst	brillar	to shine
callar	to be quiet	estallar	to explode
destellar	to flash	llamar	to call
enrollar	to roll	llevar	to carry
llegar	to arrive	rellenar	to fill
llorar	to cry	trillar	to thresh

 

 NN – Words with Double N 

The “nn” combination typically appears in Latin-derived prefixes or roots. Double “nn” is found in borrowed foreign words, proper names, or recent technical terms.

In some words with this combination in modern Spanish, the double “nn” has been simplified to a single “n,” for example, in denunciar (to report), anexar (to attach), anuncio (advertisement or announcement), and anular (to cancel or to void).

Let us examine some examples of words containing the “nn” combination. 

connotación	connotation	connacional	fellow countryman
connatural	innate	innombrable	unnameable
innovar	innovate	innegable	undeniable
innecesario	unnecessary	innovador	innovator
innatural	unnatural	innumerable	countless
innato	innate	innobleza	ignobility

The presence of geminated consonants in Spanish reflects the historical etymology of the language, distinguishing meanings and demonstrating the influence of loanwords and learned derivations.

By recognizing when a letter is doubled, learners can avoid confusion between similar words, such as pelo (hair), pello (name or surname), and gain a better understanding of the relationships between words derived from Latin roots or borrowed from other languages. Furthermore, studying geminated consonants contributes to improvements in spelling, reading, and linguistic comprehension, particularly in formal, technical, or literary vocabulary.

In conclusion, double or geminated consonants are highly significant because they allow for the differentiation of meaning, maintain etymological consistency, and aid in understanding the correct pronunciation.

References:

• Real Academia Espanñla (RAE), 2025. Secuencia de dos consonantes guales. Available at  https://www.rae.es/ortograf%C3%ADa/secuencias-de-dos-consonantes-iguales

• Merriam-Webster, 2025. 7 Uncommonly Doubled Letters. Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/7-uncommonly-doubled-letters
• Stack Exchange, 2026. Why do we have double letters? Available at: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/360180/why-do-we-have-double-letters
• The Guardian, 2003. Which English word has the most consecutive consonants? Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1662,00.html
• Teach Starter, 2024. Word Study List – Double Consonants. Available at: https://www.teachstarter.com/gb/teaching-resource/word-study-list-double-consonants-gb/
• Ladefoged, P. & Maddieson, I. (1996). The Sounds of the World’s Languages. Oxford: Blackwell.
• Penny, R. (2002). A History of the Spanish Language. Cambridge University Press.
  Trask, R. L. (1996). A Dictionary of Phonetics and Phonology. Routledge.
• Hualde, J. I. (2014). Los sonidos del español: Introducción a la fonética y a la fonología. Cambridge University Press.