l·l

Geminated L

Level 1

Write the middle dot in l·l; it is a different spelling from ll.

How It Works

The spelling l·l belongs to words such as col·legi and novel·la. It represents a geminated l historically and in careful pronunciation, though many speakers pronounce it like a single l. The spelling remains even when pronunciation shortens it.

Use a middle dot, not a period, hyphen or bullet. Ll is a different digraph, found in llibre and lluna; changing l·l to ll does not preserve the word. Related forms generally retain the spelling, such as tranquil/tranquil·la where the feminine exposes the doubled l.

Learn these spellings with the word. Hearing one l in everyday speech is not enough to determine whether a word needs l or l·l.

Examples (3)

  1. Llegeixo una novel·la.

    I am reading a novel.

  2. El col·legi és a prop.

    The school is nearby.

  3. Dibuixa dues línies paral·leles.

    Draw two parallel lines.

Words in This Pattern

ela geminada