ll / nn / rl / rn

The Sounds LL, NN, RL and RN

Level 1

ll is usually said tl: fjall (mountain). nn after an accented vowel or vowel pair is said tn: steinn (stone). rl and rn also get a t: Karl, barn (child).

How It Works

  • ll → tl. In native words, ll is said like tl: fjall (mountain), bolli (cup), milli (between), allir (everyone), lítill (small). At the end of a word the l is breathy, with no voice.
    Exceptions keep a plain long l. These include pet names and loanwords: Palli, Kalli, halló. Before t or s, ll has no t sound either: alltaf (always).
  • nn → tn after a long vowel sound. After an accented vowel (á é í ó ú ý) or a vowel pair (æ au ei ey), nn is said tn: steinn (stone), einn (one), fínn (fine), brúnn (brown), seinna (later). After a plain vowel, nn is just a long n: finna (find), kenna (teach), inn (in).
  • rl and rn. Most speakers add a t, and the r can become very weak: Karl, varla (hardly), barn (child), stjarna (star), Björn. Before d there is no t: vernd (protection).

The t sound is only in the pronunciation. The spelling always keeps ll, nn, rl and rn.

In one area of southeast Iceland, some speakers say rl and rn without the t, and this is a correct regional form. See regional pronunciation.

Examples (6)

  1. Fjallið er hátt.

    The mountain is high.

    Word by Word: The-mountain is high.

    ll in fjallið is said tl.

  2. Má ég fá kaffibolla?

    May I have a cup of coffee?

    Word by Word: May I get coffee-cup?

    ll in kaffibolla is said tl.

  3. Steinn er einn heima.

    Steinn is home alone.

    Word by Word: Steinn is alone at-home.

    nn after ei in Steinn and einn is said tn.

  4. Barnið sefur.

    The child is sleeping.

    Word by Word: The-child sleeps.

    rn in barnið gets a t sound.

  5. Karl á tvö börn.

    Karl has two children.

    Word by Word: Karl owns two children.

    rl in Karl and rn in börn both get a t sound.

  6. Halló, Palli!

    Hi, Palli!

    Word by Word: Hello, Palli!

    A loanword and a pet name: here ll is a plain l.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling ll the way it sounds.

    Fjatlið er hátt.
    Fjallið er hátt.

    The tl sound is only in the pronunciation. The word is written with ll.

  • Writing a single n where the word has nn.

    Hann er ein heima.
    Hann er einn heima.

    The tn sound comes from nn. The masculine word is einn, while ein is the feminine form.

How It Connects

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ll / nn / rl / rnLevel 1The Sounds LL, NN, RL and RN

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These sounds build on the vowels that come before them.

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