elle
letter name
The two letters ll are called elle in Spanish. Some people say doble ele, meaning "double l".
Meaning: name of the letters ll (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| elle | letter name |
| doble ele | informal |
You say elle when spelling a word aloud, as in calle spelled c, a, ele, ele, e or c, a, elle, e. The two letters stand for one sound.
When do people say it?
The Real Academia Española stopped treating ll and ch as separate letters in 2010, so the alphabet now has 27 letters. Ll is still a digraph that spells one sound.
Did you know?
- Before 2010 the Spanish alphabet counted ch and ll as separate letters, which is why older dictionaries list them after c and l.
Examples in context
- Calle se escribe con elle.Calle is written with ll.
- La palabra llave empieza con elle.The word llave starts with ll.
- ¿Cómo se deletrea llamar?How do you spell llamar?
Example conversation
A teacher, Señora Díaz, spells a word for her class.
- Señora DíazEscriban «lluvia». Se empieza con elle.Write "lluvia". It starts with ll.
- Pedro¿Es una elle o dos eles?Is it one elle or two eles?
- Señora DíazSon dos eles, pero suenan como un sonido.It is two l letters, but they sound as one.
