Spelling Words with Double Consonants

Many words that end with a consonant (a letter that isn’t a vowel) require that the ending consonant be doubled when you add a suffix to them.

These suffixes can include –ed to form the past tense, –ing to form the present progressive tense, or –er and –est to denote comparison. 

For example, “She slapped the mosquito.” 

The word “slapped” is pronounced as one syllable, “slapt,” but it’s spelled like it has two syllables. The same principle applies to the word “spelled” and many others.

Do’s and Don’ts for Spelling Words with Double Consonants

However, not all consonants are doubled when we add these suffixes, so you need to learn the rules for spelling words with double consonants. 

When you attach a suffix to CVC words, DO double the ending consonants. 

Three-letter words that follow the Consonant – Vowel – Consonant (CVC) pattern always have their last consonant doubled when you add a suffix. For example: 

• sip – sipped – sipping
• cap – capped – capping 
• tap – tapped – tapping 
• pot – potted – potting 
• dip – dipped – dipping 
• sit – sitting 
• rob – robbing – robbed – robber 

This rule also includes four-letter words that begin with blended consonants, such as pl-, sl– sh-, cl-, and bl-, among others. For example:

• slip – slipped – slipping 
• drop – dropped – dropping 
• crop – cropped – cropping
• clip – clipped – clipping
• clop – clopped – clopping
• stop – stopped – stopping 
• grab – grabbed – grabbing 

DO double the last consonant in multi-syllable words that end in vowel-consonant (V-C) and a stressed syllable. 

For words with more than one syllable, the key to remember is whether the last syllable is stressed or not. If the stress falls on the last syllable, double the consonant; otherwise, keep it single. 

For example: 

begin – beginning 

The word “begin” is stressed in the last syllable; therefore you have to double the letter “n” before you add -ing. 

How about for the word “visit”? The stress falls on the first syllable. This means we do not double the letter “t,” and instead, we spell it as “visited” or “visiting.” 

Other examples include: 

Unstressed last syllable: 

• happen – happened – happening 
• listen – listened – listening
• moisten – moistened – moisening
• render – rendered – rendering 

Stressed last syllable: 

• compel – compelled – compelling 
• dispel – dispelled – dispelling 
• embed – embedded – embedding
• repel – repelled – repelling 
• admit – admitted – admitting

Despite this rule, though, you need to familiarize yourself with many words, because there are quite a few exceptions to this rule, such as the word “cancel.”  Cancelled and canceled are both accepted (Americans prefer canceled, while most of the rest of the world prefers cancelled).

Based on this rule, the following words, since they end in two vowels and a consonant, do not require double consonants: 

• conceal – concealed
• reveal – revealed 
• unveil – unveiled 

For a two-syllable word, if a short vowel comes before the middle consonant, DO double the middle consonant. 

In English, a vowel sound can be short or long. For example, for the letter “a,” the short sound occurs in the word “mat,” while the long “a” sound occurs in “mate.” 

Words with two syllables that feature a short vowel sound in the first syllable typically have a double consonant following it. This actually functions as a way to “protect” the short vowel sound. For example, the word “apple” contains two “p’s” and helps you determine that the word uses a short “a” sound. If it were spelled “aple,” it would be pronounced with a long “a” sound. 

Examples of words that follow this rule are: 

• matter
• batter
• butter
• bitter
• Polly 
• dinner
• cottage
• drizzle
• rubber
• muffin
• coffin

DON’T double a middle consonant of a two-syllable word if the first syllable features a long vowel sound. 

If a two-syllable word has a long vowel sound in the first syllable, we don’t double the middle consonant. For example:

• spider
• minor
• bugle
• tuba  

DON’T double an ending consonant that forms part of a consonant blend. 

If a word ends in a consonant blend, such as –ng, –nk, –st, do not double the last consonant. 

For example: 

• link – linked – linking
• milk – milked – milking
• post – posted – posting
• jump – jumped – jumping
• form – formed – forming
• bond – bonded – bonding
• park – parked – parking 

Double Consonant Quiz

Check your spelling skills with this free Spelling Words with Double Consonants PDF Quiz by circling the correct spelling of the words in brackets. 

1. Did you hear what [happenned / happened] during Ira’s birthday party? 
2. He quickly [formmed / formed] his opinion of Lady Margaret. 
3. The father and son [bonded / bondded] over ice cream. 
4. The [cotage / cottage] looks very inviting. 
5. The government [compeled / compelled] everyone to be listed in the national ID system. 
6. Weren’t you [listening / listenning]? 
7. The three-year-old painstakingly [arranged / aranged] his toys on the shelf. 
8. The young mother wanted her children to appreciate their [differences / diferences]. 
9. She’s [ridden / riden] a horse before, hasn’t she? 
10. “The three little kittens, they lost their [mitens / mittens], and they began to cry.”
11. “[Rabbi / Rabi], did you call me?” he asked eagerly. 
12. “No, I don’t like spiders,” she said with a [shuder / shudder]. 
13. The quick brown fox [jumped / jumpped] over the lazy dog.
14. Do you like [aples / apples]? 
15. The [rabit / rabbit] nibbles on a carrot. 

Answer Key 

1. Did you hear what happened during Ira’s birthday party? 
2. He quickly formed his opinion of Lady Margaret. 
3. The father and son bonded over ice cream. 
4. The cottage looks very inviting. 
5. The government compelled everyone to be listed in the national ID system. 
6. Weren’t you listening? 
7. The three-year-old painstakingly arranged his toys on the shelf. 
8. The young mother wanted her children to appreciate their differences. 
9. She’s ridden a horse before, hasn’t she? 
10. “The three little kittens, they lost their mittens, and they began to cry.”
11. “Rabbi, did you call me?” he asked eagerly. 
12. “No, I don’t like spiders,” she said with a shudder. 
13. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
14. Do you like apples? 
15. The rabbit nibbles on a carrot.

Learning Spelling Rules 

Spelling rules are important to memorize if you want to avoid embarrassing mistakes. Another way to improve your spelling is to look for new words frequently and visualize them in your mind’s eye. 

If you haven’t done this before, take an unfamiliar word, look at it for some time, then close your eyes and try to visualize the word. Do this with as many words as you need, and you will soon find that you can almost instinctively tell when a spelling looks “off.” 

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

 

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• Open and Closed Compound Words: Common Examples and Rules for Spelling
• How to Study for a Spelling Test: 8 Tips for Better Results
• American vs. British Spelling: Orthography and Alternate Spellings of Common Words
• How to Spell Better Using the Secrets of Spelling Bee Winners

The post Spelling Words with Double Consonants appeared first on TCK Publishing.