# English words with double letters **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 5, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416 "2022-11-05T14:06:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/1 "2022-11-05T14:06:45Z")
Double letters in English words: is there any letter that never occurs as a double letter? Obviously, I doubt that “q” is ever doubled, since it’s always followed by a “u”. Here’s a list I’ve made just off the top of my head. There’s a few letters that I can’t think of having a double usage. Can anyone fill in the gaps? (And yes, there are other examples for some of these letters, but don’t need them; I’m just interested in whether we can come up with a near-complete list of examples of double letters, except for “q”.) And, I’m only interested in common words, not proper nouns or tradenames, so “Redd Foxx” doesn’t count for either “d” or “x”. **aa** rdvark bu **bb** le a **cc** omodate a **dd** ition fr **ee** ze o **ff** go **gg** les wit **hh** old (are there any other double “h” words?) ii? jj? boo **kk** eeper a **ll** mm? a **nn** ounce m **oo** n ha **pp** y qq? (equivalent to dividing by zero, I think) te **rr** ible gla **ss** le **tt** er vac **uu** m (I think this is the only double uu in English?) vv? ww? xx? yy?? bli **zz** ard ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/2 "2022-11-05T14:10:16Z")
Lemming? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/3 "2022-11-05T14:16:02Z")
Thank you! I knew there had to be one for “m” **aa** rdvark bu **bb** le a **cc** omodate a **dd** ition fr **ee** ze o **ff** go **gg** les wit **hh** old (are there any other double “h” words?) ii? jj? boo **kk** eeper a **ll** le **mm** ing a **nn** ounce m **oo** n ha **pp** y qq? (equivalent to dividing by zero, I think) te **rr** ible gla **ss** le **tt** er vac **uu** m (I think this is the only double uu in English?) vv? ww? xx? yy?? bli **zz** ard ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/4 "2022-11-05T14:16:48Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > bli **zz** ard Hope you’re savvy about skiing! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/5 "2022-11-05T14:16:52Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > ii? skiing > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > mm? summer simmer bummer trimming etc. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > vv? revving? (as in “revving up their engines”?) > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > ww? powwow? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/6 "2022-11-05T14:18:42Z")
move down ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/7 "2022-11-05T14:20:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > powwow? This one I really should have come up with, as powwows are very common in my province. (and as a lawyer doing common law, I really should have got that one as an example. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/8 "2022-11-05T14:22:03Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > This one I really should have come up with, as powwows are very common in my province. (and as a lawyer doing common law, I really should have got that one as an example Giving out info like you’re not scared of being **doxxed**! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/9 "2022-11-05T14:23:54Z")
Skiing, yes, the first double-I word I thought of. And if there’s another, I can’t think of it at the moment. The only double-J word I can think of that’s entered more-or-less common English usage is hajj. Lots of double-Ms: command, commend, communication, committee, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/10 "2022-11-05T14:26:07Z")
I shouldn’t have missed **mm**. Too early in the morning! ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/11 "2022-11-05T14:27:26Z")
hajj… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/12 "2022-11-05T14:31:56Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The only double-J word I can think of that’s entered more-or-less common English usage is hajj. [It’s in Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/topic/hajj), so it’s good! (I’d never seen that spelling before; today I learnt…) And doxxing is good too. **aa** rdvark bu **bb** le a **cc** omodate a **dd** ition fr **ee** ze o **ff** go **gg** les wit **hh** old (are there any other double “h” words?) sk **ii** ng ha **jj** boo **kk** eeper a **ll** le **mm** ing a **nn** ounce m **oo** n ha **pp** y qq? (equivalent to dividing by zero, I think) te **rr** ible gla **ss** le **tt** er vac **uu** m (I think this is the only double uu in English?) sa **vv** y po **ww** ow do **xx** ing yy?? bli **zz** ard ---
**Author:** ![Moris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moris/32/2846_2.png) [@Moris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moris)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/13 "2022-11-05T14:32:15Z")
Speaking of double “i”, Hawaii or Pompeii. The only double q’s I can think of are Greenlandic settlements. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/14 "2022-11-05T14:38:55Z")
Ah, yes, if we get into place names, that will widen the field a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/15 "2022-11-05T14:41:56Z")
I’m just interested in common English words, not proper nouns or other languages. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/16 "2022-11-05T14:42:56Z")
There’s chivvy: to nag at someone to do something There’s flivver: a cheap car Dmitri A. Borgmann, in his books _Language on Vacation_ and _Beyond Language_ gives us iiwi, a bird native to Hawaii. hooqqa, a variant spelling of “hookah” riqq, a small tambourine used in Egypt yye, a 15th-16th century spelling of “eye” He also mentions some Maltese (not English, I know) words of note: mxaqqaq (“cracked”) mzewwaq (“speckled”) qzejqez (“piglet”) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/17 "2022-11-05T14:43:41Z")
Yeah, I use them every day! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/18 "2022-11-05T14:47:56Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > yye, a 15th-16th century spelling of “eye” not coming up in Cambridge Dictionary, and Wordnik says it’s Middle English, so I don’t think it meets my personal arbitrary definition of a common English word. interesting word, though. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/19 "2022-11-05T15:00:49Z")
Thanks to this thread, I’m wondering how other languages compare to English, with respect to how difficult it would be to come up with such a list. (Does German’s penchant for making compound words give it an advantage?) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416/20 "2022-11-05T15:01:16Z")
sayyid _n._ **1.** a supposed descendant of Muhammad through his grandson Hussein. **2.** an Islamic title of respect, esp. for royal personages. The free [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-with-double-letters/974416.md?page=2)