Idgham in Tajweed: Letters, Types and Examples With and Without Ghunnah

What is Idgham?

Idgham is the Tajweed rule of merging a Noon Sakinah or Tanween into the next letter so that the two are read as one doubled letter. In Arabic, Idgham (إِدْغَام) means to insert or blend one thing into another. In recitation, you drop the tongue-tip tap of the silent Noon and blend the sound straight into the consonant starting the next word.

Idgham is the 2nd of the 4 rules covered in our Noon Sakinah rules hub, alongside Izhar, Iqlab, and Ikhfa. Whenever a word ends with a silent Noon (نْ) or a Tanween mark (ـً، ـٍ، ـٌ), the opening letter of the following word decides how you read that Noon sound. When that next word begins with 1 of the 6 Idgham letters, your mouth skips the gum ridge and pronounces the next letter as 1 doubled sound.

The six Idgham letters

The 6 Idgham letters are Yaa (ي), Raa (ر), Meem (م), Lam (ل), Waw (و), and Noon (ن), joined in the mnemonic word يَرْمَلُون (Yarmaloon). When 1 of these 6 letters starts the word after a Noon Sakinah or Tanween, you merge the Noon into it.

Idgham with Ghunnah

Idgham with Ghunnah occurs when a Noon Sakinah or Tanween is followed across 2 words by 1 of 4 letters: Yaa (ي), Noon (ن), Meem (م), or Waw (و), remembered as يَنْمُو (Yanmoo). In Hafs 'an 'Asim (Shatibiyyah route), the Noon merges into the next letter with a 2-count nasal hold:

1. Incomplete Merge (Idgham Naqis) with Yaa (ي) and Waw (و): The tongue contact of the Noon disappears, while its 2-count Ghunnah stays open in the nose as your mouth forms Yaa or Waw, as in مَن يَقُولُ (may-yaqoolu, 2:8). Yaa and Waw carry no Shaddah here in the Madinah Mushaf.
2. Complete Merge (Idgham Kamil) with Noon (ن) and Meem (م): Both the tongue contact and sound of the 1st Noon disappear into the following Noon or Meem, which carries a Shaddah and a 2-count Ghunnah, as in مِن نِّعْمَةٍ (min-ni'matin, 92:19) and مِن مَّاءٍ (mim-maa'in, 86:6).

Understanding how long Ghunnah lasts keeps your 2 nasal counts steady across every line of recitation. In Hafs 'an 'Asim (Shatibiyyah route), 2 counts equal the time needed to unfold 2 fingers at a moderate pace, scaled to your overall recitation speed so every nasal merge stays balanced from verse to verse.

Idgham without Ghunnah

Idgham without Ghunnah occurs when a Noon Sakinah or Tanween is followed across 2 words by 1 of 2 letters: Lam (ل) or Raa (ر). You drop the Noon completely and pronounce a clean, doubled Lam or Raa with zero sound from the nose, as in مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ (mir-rabbihim, 2:5) and هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ (hudal-lil-muttaqeen, 2:2).

Because nothing of the Noon remains, Idgham without Ghunnah is always a complete merge (Idgham Kamil). In the Mushaf, the silent Noon is printed bare without a Sukoon sign, and the following Lam or Raa carries the Shaddah mark directly above it. That visual sign tells you to step straight from the vowel before the Noon into a firm, doubled Lam or Raa without pausing or humming through your nose.

Why Idgham only happens across two words

Idgham of Noon Sakinah and Tanween only applies when the Noon Sakinah or Tanween ends the 1st word and the Idgham letter starts the 2nd word. When a Noon Sakinah is followed by Yaa or Waw inside 1 word, you pronounce a clear Noon instead.

Merging inside a single word would collapse the root consonants and confuse words with naturally doubled letters. The Quran preserves a clear Noon in every single-word case, which happens in 4 words across the Mushaf: دُنْيَا (dunyaa, 2:85), بُنْيَانٌ (bunyaanun, 61:4), قِنْوَانٌ (qinwaanun, 6:99), and صِنْوَانٌ (sinwaanun, 13:4). Scholars call this rule Izhar Mutlaq (Absolute Izhar), and we explain the four one-word exceptions with audio on our Izhar Halqi page.

In Hafs 'an 'Asim (Shatibiyyah route), يس وَالْقُرْآنِ (36:1–2) and ن وَالْقَلَمِ (68:1) are also read with clear Izhar across 2 words.

Idgham examples from the Quran

The table below gives 6 Quranic examples 1 for each letter of يَرْمَلُون—with counts in Hafs 'an 'Asim (Shatibiyyah route).

Other kinds of Idgham you will meet later

Idgham also takes place outside the Noon Sakinah rules whenever 2 consonants meet and the 1st letter is silent while the 2nd letter carries a vowel. When a silent Meem merges into a 2nd Meem across 2 words, that rule is called Idgham Shafawi and is taught under the Meem Sakinah rules. For other consonant pairs, Tajweed scholars group merging into 3 types based on how the 2 letters relate.

Idgham Mutamathilayn

Idgham Mutamathilayn is the merging of 2 identical letters when the 1st has a Sukoon and the 2nd has a vowel. The 1st merges completely into the 2nd as 1 doubled letter with a Shaddah, such as Baa into Baa in اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ (idrib-bi'asaaka, 2:60) and Daal into Daal in وَقَد دَّخَلُوا (wa qad-dakhaloo, 5:61).

Idgham Mutajanisayn

Idgham Mutajanisayn is the merging of 2 different letters that share the same articulation point (Makhraj) but differ in qualities (Sifaat), such as Daal into Taa in قَد تَّبَيَّنَ (qat-tabayyana, 2:256) and heavy Taa (ط) into light Taa (ت) in أَحَطتُ (ahattu, 27:22).

Idgham Mutaqaribayn

Idgham Mutaqaribayn is the merging of 2 letters with close articulation points and qualities. In Hafs 'an 'Asim (Shatibiyyah route), this applies to a silent Lam (لْ) before Raa (ر) in وَقُل رَّبِّ (wa qur-rabbi, 20:114) and a silent Qaf (قْ) before Kaf (ك) in أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم (alam nakhluq-kum, 77:20).

Idgham and Ikhfa: how they differ

Idgham merges a Noon Sakinah or Tanween into the next letter so that the next letter is doubled, whereas Ikhfa hides the Noon sound before the next letter without doubling it.

Common mistakes English speakers make

English speakers make 4 common mistakes with Idgham:

1. Touching the gum ridge before Yaa and Waw: In مَن يَقُولُ (may-yaqoolu, 2:8), English speakers often tap the tongue tip for a brief n first (man-yaqoolu). Keep the tongue tip down.
2. Keeping a nasal sound before Lam and Raa: Learners often carry a nasal hum into مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ (mir-rabbihim, 2:5). Close the nasal passage on Lam and Raa.
3. Dropping the Ghunnah on Yaa and Waw: Merging Noon into Yaa or Waw like a plain English y or w skips the 2-count nasal hold.
4. Applying Idgham inside 1 word: Pronouncing دُنْيَا (dunyaa, 2:85) as duy-yaa breaks the 2-word condition.

How a teacher checks your Idgham

A teacher checks your Idgham by listening to whether your tongue tip leaves the gum ridge completely and whether your nasal timing matches the letter group. When you practise alone, you cannot easily hear a brief tongue tap before Yaa or a faint nasal hum leaking into Lam and Raa.

In class, the teacher checks that the Noon fully disappears and the next letter carries the Shaddah where required, testing you on verses that mix Idgham with Ghunnah, Idgham without Ghunnah, and single-word exceptions. To have a certified teacher listen to your recitation and correct these merges step by step, join our Idgham drills in class.