Doubling Consonants

Consonant doubling refers to the practice of doubling the final consonant of a word when adding a suffix. This often occurs to maintain the pronunciation of the original word.

Rule#

The basic rule is to double the final consonant of a word when:

1. The word is one syllable or has the stress on the last syllable.
2. The word ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant.
3. The suffix begins with a vowel (e.g., -ed, -ing, -er, -est).

Examples

One-Syllable Words

• Run + ing = Running: “Run” is one syllable, ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and “ing” starts with a vowel.
• Win + er = Winner: “Win” is one syllable, ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and “er” starts with a vowel.
• Sit + ing = Sitting: “Sit” is one syllable, ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and “ing” starts with a vowel.

Multi-Syllable Words

• Stress on the Last Syllable

  • Begin + ing = Beginning: “Begin” has the stress on the last syllable, ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and “ing” starts with a vowel.
  • Occur + ed = Occurred: “Occur” has the stress on the last syllable, ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and “ed” starts with a vowel.
  • Refer + ing = Referring: “Refer” has the stress on the last syllable, ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and “ing” starts with a vowel.

• No Stress on the Last Syllable

  • Benefit + ing = Benefiting: “Benefit” does not double the ’t’ because the stress is not on the last syllable.

Words Ending in ’l'#

In British English, words often double the ’l’ even if the stress is not on the last syllable:

• Travel + ing = Travelling (British) / Traveling (American): In British English, “travel” doubles the ’l’, while in American English, it does not.
• Cancel + ed = Cancelled (British) / Canceled (American): Both forms are correct; “canceled” is more common in American English, while “cancelled” is preferred in British English.

Exceptions#

• Words Ending in ‘w’, ‘x’, or ‘y’: These consonants are not doubled (e.g., “snow” + “ing” = “snowing”, “box” + “es” = “boxes”, “play” + “ed” = “played”).

Examples

• snow + ing = snowing
• box + es = boxes
• play + ed = played