3.09 Final consonants doubled before a suffix

Double the final consonant before y or before a suffix beginning with a vowel in a word of one syllable that ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel:

• bed
  • bedded
• dip
  • dipped
• fat
  • fatty
• fit
  • fitted
• flit
  • flitting
• gum
  • gummy
• log
  • logged
• mad
  • madden
• rot
  • rotted
• scrub
  • scrubbing
• sit
  • sitting
• stop
  • stopping

Final consonants doubled before a suffix, Exceptions

Do not double the final consonant in a word of one syllable if the vowel sound is long:

• boat
  • boating
• light
  • lighten
• stoop
  • stooped
• read
  • reading

Note that the preferred plural spelling of the noun bus is buses.

The final consonant is doubled in words of more than one syllable ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, if the accent is on the last syllable and the suffix begins with a vowel:

• acquit
  • acquittal
• commit
  • committal
• occur
  • occurrence
• rebel
  • rebellion
• regret
  • regretted
• transmit
  • transmitted

Note that there is no doubling of the consonant in targeted and benefited.

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