Spelling, tradutor técnico de inglês em Curitiba

Spelling

Double final consonant

1 If the base form of a verb has one syllable and ends with a single vowel letter followed by a consonant letter, you double the final consonant letter before adding 'ing' to form the present participle (ing) or 'ed' to form the past form.

dip - dipping
trot - trotting (the movement of a horse)

Note that this does not apply if the final consonant letter is 'w', 'x' or 'y'.

row - rowing (remar; brigar Brit Eng)
box - boxing
play - playing

2 The final consonant letter of some two-sillable verbs is also doubled. This happens when the second syllable ends in a single vowel letter followed by a consonant letter and is stressed.

refer - referring - referred
equip - equipping - equipped

3 In British English, when a two-syllable verb ends in a single vowel letter followed by a single 'l', the 'l' is doubled before 'ing' or 'ed' is added to it, even if there is no stress on the last syllable.

travel - travelling - travelled
quarrel - quarrelling - quarrelled

A few other verbs also have their final consonant letter doubled:

program - programming - programmed
worship - worshipping - worshipped
hiccup - hiccupping - hiccupped
kidnap - kidnapping - kidnapped
handicap - handicapping - handicapped

These verbs above, except 'handicap', can have their present participle and past form spelled with a single consonant letter in American English:

travel - traveling - traveled
worship - worshiping - worshiped
etc

4 Here is a list of verbs whose final consonant letter is doubled before 'ing' and 'ed' in British English but not always in American English:

cancel
dial
duel
enamel
enrol
enthral
equal
fuel

5 With verbs ending in 'c' a 'k' is added:

mimic - mimicking - mimicked
panic - panicking - panicked

(from Collins cobuild page 448)

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