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Shaddah: the Doubled Letter
The sign that asks you to say the letter twice.
Shaddah is a small sign placed above a letter: the letter is doubled. It is said twice, first with no vowel, then with the vowel that comes with the shaddah. The Hafs text of the Quran carries 22,678 of them. On a nūn or a mīm, the shaddah comes with a nasal sound, the ghunnah.
Saying the letter twice
A letter carrying a shaddah counts as two: the first with no vowel, the second with the vowel placed with the shaddah. بَّ reads “bba”.
On a nūn or a mīm, the shaddah calls for the ghunnah. On a doubled nūn or mīm, the sound goes through the nose and is held two counts.
After “al”, a sun letter carries the shaddah. In “al”, before one of the 14 sun letters, the lām is not said: the next letter is doubled.
Shaddah, counted
| Sign | Name | Sounds like | In the Quran |
|---|---|---|---|
| بَّ | Shaddah | doubled letter | 22,678 |
| نّ | Ghunnah (doubled nūn or mīm) | nasal sound, two counts | 4,946 |
Shaddah in words from Al-Fatiha
Tap ▶ to hear the word in its verse. The doubled letter is highlighted.
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ٱللَّهِ
llāhi
(of) Allah
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رَبِّ
rabbi
the Lord
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ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ
ar-raḥmāni
The Most Gracious
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ٱلدِّينِ
d-dīn
(of the) Judgment
Going further
Frequently asked questions
How is a letter with a shaddah read?
Twice: first with no vowel, then with the vowel of the shaddah.
Why is the shaddah on nūn and mīm different?
On a doubled nūn or mīm, the sound goes through the nose and is held two counts.
Why does the lām of “al” sometimes disappear?
In “al”, before one of the 14 sun letters, the lām is not said: the next letter is doubled.
How can I check my reading when I learn without a teacher?
Read out loud in the Tilawa app: it follows your reading word by word and shows you the words to work on. The transliteration under each word helps you until you can read Arabic.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error