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Winning, cancelled, traveling.We need to double the last letter sometime when we add ed or ing after them.Could anybody tell when should I double the last letter and when I should double the last letter?Many thanks in advance.

Yoong Liat · Accepted Answer

Winning, cancelled, traveling (AmE),  travelling (BrE)

Tanit · Answer

Vctory OngCould anybody tell when should I double the last letter and when I should double the last letter

Hi,

I hope you'll like the following excerpt from http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/classicerrors/spellingtips/verbinflections?view=uk.

(When it comes to English grammar, beware of general rules ... more often than not it's possible to find at least an exception that proves the rule!)

Some words that are already hard to spell can give further trouble when endings are added, e.g. to put a verb into the past tense. Enthral, for example, sounds as though it should be spelled with a double l but in fact has only one; but the l is doubled in enthralled and enthralling. The i in profited and profiting is short, which makes it sound as though there should be a double t; but in fact there is only one, as in the present tense profit.

These examples may be confusing; but a few basic rules will help:

When you form the past tense of a verb, or add -ing, remember:
Verbs ending in a double consonant keep it (add, added, adding, embarrass, embarrassed, embarrassing).

Double the final consonant if the verb has only one syllable and the vowel is short - e.g. clap, clapped, clapping.

Double the final consonant if the verb has two syllables and the second is stressed - e.g. occur, occurred, occurring, acquit, acquitted, acquitting, prefer, preferred, preferring . This rule explains the confusing enthral and enthralled, fulfil and fulfilled.

Leave the final consonant single if the verb has two syllables and the first is stressed - e.g. credit, credited, crediting, budget, budgeted, budgeting. This rule explains profit. It has some important exceptions: focused and biased are usually spelled with a single s in British English, and a final l is always doubled.

Leave the final consonant single if the verb has more than two syllables and the final syllable is not stressed - e.g. benefit, benefited, benefiting, develop, developed, developing.

If a verb ends in e, just add d to form the past tense. Most verbs drop the e before -ing (timing, using). Ageing usually keeps the e; and singeing must keep it to distinguish it from singing.
PS: Your question ought to be rephrased.

CalifJim · Answer

The rules for doubling consonants are located at .

CJ

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