crediting or creditting

Question

Please, there is a rule in English that says if a word ends in C.V.C sequence of letters, the last consonant is doubled before adding a suffix that starts with a vowel.

The rule applies to the verb 'credit, but I found that the last letter is not doubled.

Could you please explain why it is the case?

Thank you.

GPY · Accepted Answer

For multi-syllable words, an additional factor is whether the final syllable is stressed. For example, "submitted" and "omitted" have a stressed final syllable, so the "t" is doubled. "credit" has an unstressed final syllable, so it isn't.

This augmented rule still is not 100% reliable. For example, "model" has an unstressed final syllable yet the "l" doubles in "modelled."*

*In BrE at least...

GPY · Answer

GPYFor example, "submitted" and "omitted" have a stressed final syllable, so the "t" is doubled.

Sorry, I did of course mean that the final syllables of "submit" and "omit" are stressed, not the final syllables of "submitted" and "omitted".

KJinCali79 · Answer

If it is a single syllable word which ends in a single consonant after a single vowel you add a double consonant when adding a suffix that starts with a vowel, but not for one that doesn't. For example with the word "glad", you can have "gladden", but also "gladly". For the word "fit" you can have "fitted" or "fitting" but also "fitness." Or "spot", "spotted", "spotting", but also "spotless".

For two syllable words you only double the consonant when the final syllable of the root word is stressed, such as commit and committed, begin and beginning.

There is an exception for the suffix "-ence" with "-er" words. You don't double the "r" for preference, reference, etc.

KJinCali79 · Answer

Also, words where the final consonate is any of the following: w,x,y,z don't get doubled either.  Snow, snowed or snowing. Play, played, playing.

crediting or creditting

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