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CEFR B1
Double consonants
Some French words double their consonant, often after a prefix (ap- becomes app-, ac- becomes acc-, ef- becomes eff-). There is no universal rule: common words have to be memorized.
After the prefixes ap-, ac-, af-, ef-, of-, at-, the consonant is often doubled. But not always: you have to memorize them.
Examples
Il faut apporter des preuves.
Key word(s): apporter
Prefix ap- plus porter, so the p is doubled.
L'accueil était chaleureux.
Key word(s): accueil
Prefix ac- plus a double c.
C'est une occasion unique.
Key word(s): occasion
Double c and a single s (a frequent trap).
Elle a fait un effort.
Key word(s): effort
Prefix ef- plus a double f.
Il faut différencier les deux.
Key word(s): différencier
Double f after dif-.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the double p in "appeler", "apparaître", "apporter"
- Adding a double n in "honneur" but forgetting it in "honorer"
- Confusing "occurence" (wrong) and "occurrence" (right: double c plus double r)
Test yourself
Il faut ___ le médecin.
C'est une belle ___.
Quelle est la ___ ?
Tips to remember
- Memorize the word families: appeler/apparaître/apporter (ap- becomes app-).
- Remember: occurrence (2c plus 2r), accueil (2c), adresse (1d plus 2s).
- When in doubt, look for a related word to check.
Practice this rule with audio dictation
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