Dysorthographia exercise double consonants

Why does “pomme” take two “m”s and “pomade” only one? Double consonants are not heard, which makes them very difficult for a child with dysorthographia. There is no simple rule that works every time. Here are useful landmarks and exercises to memorise the most frequent words.

Letters that cannot be heard

In French, a double consonant is most often pronounced like a single consonant. “Balle” and “bal” sound the same to the ear. A child who writes according to sound therefore has no clue to double the letter. They often choose at random, or never add it.

Double consonants depend mainly on remembering the spelling of words. There are a few landmarks, but many exceptions. This is why it is important to work first on the most frequent words. The page dysorthographia and double consonants presents the problem in detail.

Some helpful landmarks

Certain landmarks often work. After an “e” pronounced “è”, the consonant is often doubled, as in “belle”, “terre” or “cette”. There is never a double consonant after a nasal sound such as “on” or “an”.

Words beginning with “ap”, “ac” or “ef” often double the consonant, as in “apporter”, “accrocher” or “effacer”. These landmarks are not absolute rules, but they reduce uncertainty. They can be written on a card. The child returns to it when hesitating. It reduces the number of words to learn by heart.

Memorising frequent words

For words the child uses often, such as “pomme”, “ballon”, “femme” or “lettre”, the best strategy remains memorisation. Look at the word, colour the two identical consonants, and spell it aloud, stressing the doubling. Then hide the word and write it from memory.

Linking the word to a picture in which the two letters are shown helps a great deal. In “pomme”, you can draw two apples in place of the two “m”s. The child remembers the picture along with the word. This approach is detailed on the page illustrated spelling.

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Double consonants and word families

Words from the same family often keep the double consonant: “terre”, “terrain”, “enterrer”. If the child knows the spelling of one word, they can apply it to the whole family. This multiplies the effectiveness of learning.

You can build family trees with them, with the base word in the centre and derived words as branches. The double consonants are coloured in each word. They see that these letters repeat. One well-learnt word thus gives them the spelling of several others. Word families have a dedicated page.

Sorting with or without a double consonant

A simple exercise is to give a list of words to sort into two columns: with or without a double consonant. The child reads each word, observes and sorts. They develop their attention to the details of the written word.

You can then offer words to complete, where the child must choose between one or two consonants. They check with a dictionary or a reference list. This checking work is as important as the answer. They learn to doubt and to search. This habit will serve them throughout their schooling.

Do not aim for perfection

Double consonants pose problems for many adults, even without dysorthographia. It is therefore important not to demand perfection from the child. It is better for them to master a hundred or so frequent words than to try to learn all the rules.

Remaining errors can be corrected with tools, such as the spell checker, as they grow older. The essential thing is that the child does not become discouraged. They can be praised for each word learnt. The page revising spelling without tears gives advice on keeping motivation up.

Support from the speech and language therapist

If double consonants are one difficulty among many others, the speech and language therapist can include them in broader spelling rehabilitation. They will also know which words to prioritise according to age. These exercises support their work without replacing it.

The directory ProfessionnelsDys lists speech and language therapists by town, with a search by disorder. It is useful to show them the word lists already worked on. The page methods for learning spelling differently presents other approaches.