ny/ll

NY and LL Spellings

Level 1

Ny and ll are two-letter spellings for consonants, not two separate syllables.

How It Works

Ny represents the palatal nasal heard in any and senyor. Treat the letters together when recognizing a word: any means year, while anys means years. The plural ending follows the whole consonant spelling.

Ll traditionally represents a palatal lateral, as in lluna and llibre. Pronunciation varies across Catalan varieties and speakers; it is not the same spelling as l·l, which marks two l sounds in words such as novel·la. Preserve that distinction in writing even if your own pronunciation merges some sounds.

Both ny and ll can occur at different positions in a word. Neither spelling requires a written accent by itself. Stress marks follow the ordinary rules for the whole word, and the letters do not need an inserted vowel between them.

Examples (3)

  1. Aquest any aprenc català.

    This year I am learning Catalan.

  2. El senyor llegeix un llibre.

    The man is reading a book.

  3. La lluna es veu des de la finestra.

    The moon can be seen from the window.