The Complete Guide to English Spelling Rules (16 page)

Derivatives of a word must retain the double
l:

Note that the word
fully
is the word
full
plus
ly
with the third
l
dropped. It therefore follows the rule.

While the charming old word
farewell
retains the double
l,
the equally ancient word
welcome
adheres to the rule and drops the second
l
. Interestingly, the word
fulfil
manages to drop the second
l
twice.

While the words
alright
and
all right
both follow the rules, the former is acceptable only in certain contexts.

The word
alone
comes from
all one
and follows the rules.

Note that the word
fill
is rarely used as a prefix or suffix. It is usually the root word, a derivative, or part of a compound:

With the words
skill, will,
and
till,
we come to a transitional stage. Some words have lost the extra
l
while others still retain it.

While the rule is followed in British dictionaries, there are some American dictionaries that offer a choice of
skillfu
l or
skilful
and
fulfill
or
fulfil
. This is a fascinating reversal, considering how the British are so attached to the double
l
and Americans are not. When offered the choice, we should stick to the spelling rules and drop that extra
l
.

C
HAPTER 13

Double the Consonant

O
ne of the most irritating problems in English spelling is when to double the consonant and when not to double it. It is safe to say that even the best spellers are sometimes unsure and usually keep a dictionary handy. The double consonant almost always follows a short vowel, but a short vowel is not always followed by a double consonant. Most people would agree that the double consonant is an irritating anachronism which quite often is not needed.

Here is the spelling rule.

Double the final consonant only if the word ends in a single consonant preceded by a short vowel and the suffix is a vowel suffix. If it is a multi-syllable word, the accent must fall on the final syllable.

The following paragraphs are intended to clarify the rule.

The final consonant means just one consonant. If the word ends in
ch, sh,
or
ck,
then we do not double:

Single syllable words that end in
f, l, s,
and
z
are usually already doubled:

If an
s
follows
u,
then the
s
is not usually doubled:

In most words that end in
x
and
y,
the letter is not doubled:

If there are two vowels, the consonant is not doubled. Almost always, the word has a long vowel sound:

The combination
qu
is counted as one letter. Therefore the
u
is not considered to be an extra vowel:

If the final t is silent, it is not doubled:

Note that the British pronounce the
t
at the end of
ricochet
and therefore correctly spell the participle
ricochetting
.

A suffix must begin with a vowel: