Can You Spot the Double Vowels? Finnish Sound Fun!

One thing that makes Finnish stand out is its love for double vowels—when a vowel is written twice, it changes the sound! Learning to spot and pronounce these vowel pairs is a great way to boost reading and speaking skills.

Listen to the Long Sound

In Finnish, double vowels stretch the sound of the letter. Here are some examples:

• maa – land (longer “a”)
• suu – mouth
• puu – tree
• kiipeä – to climb
• jäätelö – ice cream (look for the “ää”)

Try saying: “Minä haluan jäätelöä puun alla.” (“I want ice cream under the tree.”)

Vowel Sound Activities

Echo Game

Say a short word like “ma” and then stretch it to “maa.” Ask your child to echo back the difference.

Vowel Hunt

Read a Finnish picture book or flashcards and circle all the double vowels you find. Count how many “aa,” “ee,” or “oo” pairs you can spot.

Dinolingo’s Finnish course (for ages 2–14) introduces double vowels through songs, games, and pronunciation practice. Kids naturally learn the rhythm of Finnish as they hear and say stretched vowel sounds.

The program’s animations and speaking practice help little learners master this musical part of the language with fun and ease.

Sources:

• UCLA Phonetics Lab