how to spell (shorty): doubling up longer words

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beginner, forgetting, equipped, preferred, regrettable...

Hi there this is Joanne from howtospell.co.uk and in this simplified shorty lesson we're looking at the 1:1:1 doubling up rule for longer words.

Remember in the last video we looked at the 1:1:1 doubling up rule with words with 1 syllable (shop, run, swim) with 1 vowel next to 1 end consonant and when this happens we double the end consonant when we add vowel suffixes: shopped, runner, swimming

Remember how the double letters usually indicate the short vowel sound, so we don't get them mixed up with the magic 'e' long sounds.

We can also double up longer words. Look at these two syllable words (begin, forget, regret, upset, acquit, admit). When we add vowel suffixes we double up the end consonant (beginner, forgetting, regretted, upsetting, acquitted, admittance). But we only double up the end consonant in these words when the last syllable is stressed.
Listen to these "beGIN, forGET, reGRET, upSET, acQUIT, adMIT"

If you can't hear the stress then don't worry, just see the patterns.

Let's look at these words and patterns in more detail.

begin - "beGIN" we have 1 end stressed syllable with 1 vowel next to 1 end consonant so we double up with vowel suffixes - beginner, beginning
but not begins because 's' isn't a vowel suffix.

forget - forgetting, forgettable
also the past: forgot - forgotten

regret - regrettable, regrettably, regretting, regretted
submit - submitting, submitted
upset - upsetting
equip - equipped, equipping (not equipment remember we only double up with vowel suffixes)
acquit - acquitted, acquitting, acquittal
admit - admitting, admittance, admitted

We also double up the end 'r' in prefer, refer, occur) The 'r' influences the vowel sound and makes it long

prefer "preFER" - preferred, preferring, preferrer But not preferable "PREferable" because the stress is on the first syllable, and not preferential "PREFERencial" and preference "PREFerence".

refer "reFER" - referred, referring, (but not reference "REFerence", referendum "REFErendum".
occur "oCCUR" - occurring, occurred, occurrence

If you can't hear the stress, or find rules hard to remember, then see the patterns. Most good spellers don't know this rule but just see the patterns and see that the spelling looks right.

See you in the next shorty video. If you want to learn spelling rules in more detail then I have a Spelling Rules Workbook: a step-by-step guide, and various courses on my website howtospell.co.uk