Short drills for double consonants (ll, tt, gn, gl)

Speak Italian with Style: Playful Tongue Twisters for Pronunciation: Short drills for double consonants (ll, tt, gn, gl)

Here are some short drills and teaching ideas for double consonants: ll, tt, gn, and gl.

Double “ll”:

Use words like bell, kill, hill, tall, and small.
Introduce the FLOSS rule which says to double final f, l, s, or sometimes z after a short vowel sound.
Have students practice by spelling and saying words aloud, focusing on the double “ll” sound protecting the short vowel.
Add suffixes to words ending with “ll” (e.g., tall → taller) to reinforce the rule.²

Double “tt”:

Words like butter, letter, better, and kitten help demonstrate the double “tt” usage.
Emphasize the short vowel sound before the double “tt.”
Practice adding suffixes (bat → batted) to show when “t” doubles.
Note exceptions, such as words with long vowels or unstressed final syllables (e.g., later, visit) where “tt” does not double.⁶

Double “gn” and “gl”:

These are consonant clusters often found at the beginning or in the middle of words.
For “gn”: words like gnome, sign, and design focus on the silent “g” sound.
For “gl”: words like glass, globe, and glitter.
Short drills can include spelling, reading aloud, and sorting activities based on these consonant clusters.

Sample word lists for drills:

These drills help students recognize the patterns, understand pronunciation cues, and apply spelling rules confidently.¹^{, 2}^{, 6}

References