Lesson 12
Shaddah The Doubled Letter
الشدة
Shaddah doubles a consonant. The first instance is sākin; the second carries the written vowel. You must produce both, back to back, without any gap.
What Is Shaddah?
Shaddah (الشدة "stress/intensity") looks like a small "w" shape (ّ) sitting above a letter. It tells you the letter is doubled:
بَّ
= بْ + بَ → "bb-a"
First bāʾ is sākin (no vowel), second bāʾ has the fatḥah. Lips close twice.
How to Pronounce Shaddah
- Read the letter before the shaddah and note its vowel that vowel belongs to the letter before.
- Bring your mouth to the position for the doubled letter hold it closed (first, sākin instance).
- Release with the vowel written on the shaddah letter (second instance).
The result sounds like a slightly "heavier" or emphasised consonant.
Examples from the Qurʾān
رَبَّنَاrabbanā "Our Lord" bāʾ is doubled
مُحَمَّدMuḥammad mīm is doubled (the Prophet ﷺ)
اللَّهAllāh the lām is shaddah: al·lāh
إِنَّinna nūn is doubled: "in-na"
ثُمَّthumma mīm doubled: "thumm-a"
الْحَقُّal-ḥaqqu qāf doubled + qalqalah on first instance
Shaddah + Vowel Marks Together
The vowel mark sits on top of the shaddah (above it) or beneath the shaddah. Both belong to the second (voweled) instance:
WrittenDecomposedRead as
بَّبْ + بَ"bba" (double bāʾ with fatḥah)
بِّبْ + بِ"bbi" (double bāʾ with kasrah)
بُّبْ + بُ"bbu" (double bāʾ with ḍammah)
بًّبْ + بً"bban" (double bāʾ with tanwīn fatḥ)
Key Points
- One letter + shaddah = two instances of that letter back to back.
- The first is always sākin. The second carries the written vowel.
- Never add a gap or "uh" sound between the two instances.
- If the doubled letter is qāf, ṭāʾ, bāʾ, jīm, or dāl the sākin first instance still gets qalqalah.