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2.16: The Consonant Sound [n]

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Spelling [n]

There are six different ways of spelling [n], but the two most common are <n> and <nn>.

Double consonants such as <nn> can be caused by twinning or assimilation or simple addition. Sometimes twinning can cause an <nn>: fan + n + ing = fanning. Sometimes assimilation can cause an <nn>: a+ n + nounce = announce, and co+ n + nect = connect. And simple addition can cause an <nn> when an element that starts with <n> is added to another element that ends with <n>: un + named = unnamed, and stubborn + ness = stubbornness.

Examples

Sometimes [n] is spelled <n> as in the word balance.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <nn> as in the word announce.

Review 

  1. Underline the letters that spell [n] in the following words.
    \begin{align*}     & \text{balance} && \text{nuisance} && \text{candidate} && \text{conclusion}\\     & \text{immense} && \text{columnist} && \text{immunity} && \text{dictionary}\\     & \text{efficient} && \text{judgement} && \text{solemnity} && \text{coupon}\\     & \text{economics} && \text{bundle} && \text{nourishment} && \text{island}\\     & \text{nonalcoholic} && \text{enormous} && \text{diamonds} && \text{underexposed} \end{align*}
  2. How is [n] spelled in all of these words? ______. Usually [n] is spelled this way - about nine times out of ten, in fact!

    All of the following words contain an <nn> that is caused by one of the three things described above. Analyze each word enough to show where the two <n>s come from. Then in the ‘Cause’ column write the cause for the <nn> in each word - “Twinning,” “Assimilation,” or “Simple Addition.”

    Words = Analysis Cause
    3. announce a+ n + nounce Assimilation
    4. connect =  
    5. innocent =  
    6. tinny =  
    7. unnourishing =  
    8. nonnuclear =  
    9. skinny =  
    10. unnecessary =  
    11. nonnative =  
    12. innumerable =  
    13. beginner =  
    14. commonness =  
    15. annihilate =  
    16. unnodding =  
    17. annex =  
    18. annul =  
    19. nonnoble =  
    20. suddenness =  
    21. connive =  
    22. beginning =  
    23. cannot =  
    24. stubbornness =  
    25. sunniest =  
    26. twinned =  

    27. So far you have examined two different ways to spell [n]: _____ and _____. The sound [n] is spelled these two ways about ninety-nine times out of a hundred.

Show Answer
  1. \begin{align*}     &  bala \underline{n}ce  &&   \underline{n}uisa \underline{n}ce  &&  ca \underline{n}didate  &&  co \underline{n}clusio \underline{n} \\     &  imme \underline{n}se  &&  colum \underline{n}ist  &&  immu \underline{n}ity  &&  dictio \underline{n}ary \\     &  efficie \underline{n}t  &&  judgeme \underline{n}t  &&  solem \underline{n}ity  &&  coupo \underline{n} \\     &  eco \underline{n}omics  &&  bu \underline{n}dle  &&   \underline{n}ourishme \underline{n}t  &&  isla \underline{n}d \\     &   \underline{n}onalcoholic  &&  e \underline{n}ormous  &&  diamo \underline{n}ds  &&  u \underline{n}derexposed  \end{align*}
  2. How is [n] spelled in all of these words? <n> . Usually [n] is spelled this way – about nine times out of ten, in fact!

    Words = Analysis Cause
    3. announce ad + n + nounce Assimilation
    4. connect com + n + nect Assimilation
    5. innocent in + nocent Simple addition
    6. tinny tin + n + y Twinning
    7. unnourishing un + nourishing Simple addition
    8. nonnuclear non + nuclear Simple addition
    9. skinny skin + n + y Twinning
    10. unnecessary un + necessary Simple addition
    11. nonnative non + native Simple addition
    12. innumerable in + numerable Simple addition
    13. beginner begin + n + er Twinning
    14. commonness common + ness Simple addition
    15. annihilate ad + n + nihilate Assimilation
    16. unnodding un + nodding Simple addition
    17. annex ad + n + nex Assimilation
    18. annul ad + n + nul Assimilation
    19. nonnoble non + noble Simple addition
    20. suddenness sudden + ness Simple addition
    21. connive com + n + nive Assimilation
    22. beginning begin + n + ing Twinning
    23. cannot can + not Simple addition
    24. stubbornness stubborn + ness Simple addition
    25. sunniest sun + n + y + i + est Twinning
    26. twinned twinned Twinning

    27. So far you have examined two different ways to spell [n]: <n> and <nn>.

Explore More

The other four ways to spell [n] are: <gn>, <kn>, <pn>, and <mn>. Examples are as follows:

Sometimes [n] is spelled <gn> as in the word sign.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <kn> as in the word knew.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <pn> as in the word pneumonia.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <mn> as in the word mnemonic.

Spelling <nn> and the VCC Pattern

Two of the ways to spell [n] are <n> and <nn>. Remember: The sound [n] is spelled one of these two ways about ninety-nine times out of every one hundred.

The <nn> spelling occurs for many reasons: assimilation, twinning, simple addition, or VCC.

Examples

Word Reason for <nn>
innocently Simple Addition
beginner Twinning
tennis VCC
annihilation Assimilation

Review

Read over the list carefully. Starting with the vowel right in front of the <nn> in each one, mark the VCC pattern.

[n] Spelled <gn>

The sound [n] is also spelled <gn> in the word reign, as in “The king reigned for fifty years.” Reign comes from the Latin word regnum, which meant “the power of a king” and in which the <g> was pronounced.

But [n] is also spelled <gn> in sovereign and foreign, which come from the Latin words superanus and foranus, with no <g>s. So why are there <g>s in sovereign and foreign? Long ago people decided that sovereign and foreign must have come from the word reign. So they changed the spelling to make the three words look more alike.

Examples

There are several English words in which [n] is spelled <gn>. Many of them come from the Latin word signum, which meant “mark, sign.”

[n] Spelled <kn>

The most common words with [n] spelled <kn> have know as their base.

Examples

Here is another little group of <kn> words, all dealing with the knees:


This page titled 2.16: The Consonant Sound [n] is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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