Spelling Rule-8: The 1:1:1 doubling-up rule

If a word has ONE syllable AND ONE vowel And it ends in ONE consonant, double the final consonant.

put – putting, big-bigger, stop-stopped, fat- fatten, run – running, thin – thinner, sit – sitting, get – getting, stop-stopping, hot-hotter, swim – swimming, shop – shopper.

8.1: Do you know when we double up the last consonant?

Say these words to yourself: put/sit/run/swim/thin/get.

Notice they all have 1 syllable.

Notice they all have 1 consonant at the end of the word.

Notice they all have 1 vowel next to the consonant: vowel + consonant

 

8.2: With the 1:1:1 rule we usually double the end consonant when we add the following vowel suffixes (-ing,-ed,-er, -est, -en, -ish, -ery, -y).

8.3: The reason why we double up the consonant is to keep the short vowel sound.

8.4: Let’s look at why knowing all about the magic ‘e’, silent ‘e,’  drop the ‘e’ rule and the doubling up rule is important.

Look at these pairs of words:

Read them out loud – when you read them you should be able to distinguish between the short vowel and the long vowel sound. (Remember we double up to distinguish a short vowel)

hoping and hopping

hoped and hopped

rating and ratting

rated and ratted

taping and tapping

taped and tapped

hoping = hope + ing (drop the ‘e’) hoping (long sound)

hoping = hop + ing (double the p) = hopping (short sound)

 rating = rate + ing (drop the ‘e’) = rating (long sound)

ratting = rat + ing (double t) = ratting

taping = tape + ing (drop the ‘e’) = taping (long sound)

tapping = tap + ing (double up ) = tapping

8.5: Let’s look at the confusion with write, writing, written

write to writing = write + drop the ‘e’ with -ing = writing write to written

The magic ‘e’ silent ‘e’ makes the i in write a long vowel sound but when we double up the ‘t’ it makes the i a short vowel sound.

Lots of people mistakenly double up the t in writing (writting x) maybe because of written

So we double up the final consonant when words have one syllable ending in one vowel + one consonant and it makes the vowel sound short.

8.6: But we never double up the final consonant when it’s c, w, x, v, u, or y.

8.7: The 1:1:1 doubling up rule is also used for longer words.(The RABBIT rule)

Notice the second syllable is stressed and you can hear a clear short vowel sound

begin (beGIN) – beginner, beginning

forget (forGET) – forgetting, forgettable

regret (reGRET) – regrettable, regretting, regretted

forbid – forbidden

submit – submitting, submitted,

upset – upsetting

expel – expelled, expelling

equip – equipped. equipping

acquit – acquitted, acquitting, acquittal

admit – admitting, admittance, admitted.

8.8: We also double up the r in:

prefer – preferred, preferring ( BUT NOT preference, preferable, preferential)

refer – referred, referring, (BUT NOT reference, referendum, referential)

defer – deferred, deferring (BUT NOT deference, deferent, deferential)

occur – occurring, occurred, occurrence.

8.9: When the stress doesn’t fall on the final syllable don’t double up:

budget – budgeting, budgeted

murmur murmuring, murmuring

cater catering catered

perform – performer performing ( the second syllable is stressed) but it’s a long vowel sound with -or- before the m.

8.10: Focus can be spelled with either a single or a double s

focused / focussed

focusing / focussing