Plural Spelling: bome and katte

Level 2

Long vowel: boom → bome, skool → skole, muur → mure · short vowel: kat → katte, sak → sakke, bus → busse

How It Works

Long vowels: two letters become one
In nouns like these, a long aa, ee, oo or uu is written double because a consonant closes the syllable. In the plural that consonant moves to the next syllable, so one letter is enough:

  • boom → bo-me, skool → sko-le, muur → mu-re
  • maan → mane, jaar → jare, straat → strate, been → bene

Short vowels: the consonant doubles
A single vowel letter at the end of a syllable is read long. To keep the vowel short, the consonant after it is doubled:

  • kat → kat-te, sak → sak-ke, bus → bus-se
  • pen → penne, kop → koppe, bal → balle

Without the double letter, kate would be read with a long a.

What does not change

  • Vowels spelled with two different letters, such as oe, ie, ui, eu and ei: boek → boeke, huis → huise, stoel → stoele.
  • Words that already end in two consonants: hond → honde, wolk → wolke.
  • ng is never doubled: ding → dinge.

The same rule elsewhere
Comparatives and diminutives follow it too: groot → groter, dun → dunner, kop → koppie. A few nouns change the vowel itself, such as skip → skepe. Those are irregular plurals.

Examples (6)

  1. Daar staan drie bome in die tuin.

    There are three trees in the garden.

    Word by Word: There stand three trees in the garden.

  2. Die skole is môre gesluit.

    The schools are closed tomorrow.

    Word by Word: The schools are tomorrow closed.

  3. Ons het twee katte en 'n hond.

    We have two cats and a dog.

    Word by Word: We have two cats and a dog.

  4. Sit asseblief die sakke in die kar.

    Please put the bags in the car.

    Word by Word: Put please the bags in the car.

  5. Die busse ry elke uur.

    The buses run every hour.

    Word by Word: The buses ride every hour.

  6. Die mure van die kamer is wit.

    The walls of the room are white.

    Word by Word: The walls of the room are white.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the double vowel before the plural -e.

    Daar staan drie boome in die tuin.
    Daar staan drie bome in die tuin.

    In an open syllable a long vowel is written with one letter: boom becomes bome.

  • Forgetting to double the consonant after a short vowel.

    Ons het twee kate.
    Ons het twee katte.

    Kate would be read with a long a. The double t keeps the a short.

  • Forgetting to double the s after a short vowel.

    Die buse is laat.
    Die busse is laat.

    Bus has a short u, so the s doubles in the plural.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Plural Spelling: bome and katteLevel 2

Learn This First

Adding -e can change spelling, following the long and short vowel rules.

Words in This Pattern

-e