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Yes, the duplication does matter in the pronunciation of Finnish. For example, words "tuli" (means "fire"), "tuuli" ("wind") and "tulli" ("customs") are all pronounced slightly differently: the double letters in "tuuli" and "tulli" are stressed, otherwise they sound too much like "tuli". In some names, though, the pronunciation rules are looser. For example, in the given name Nina the letter "i" can be pronounced shorter (like in English) or longer like in the name's Finnish form Niina.