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Doubling consonants before -ed and -ing

You learn to double the final consonant before vowel suffixes (-ing, -ed, -er) to keep the short vowel sound.

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How to write it

When a one-syllable word has 1 short vowel and ends in 1 consonant (CVC), double the last letter before adding -ed or -ing.

A worked example

She is ___ across the field right now. (run + ing)

  1. Run ends in one short vowel (u) and one consonant (n).
  2. Double the n before -ing: r-u-n-n-i-n-g.
  3. You spell running.
More examples

The rabbit ___ into the green burrow. (hop + ed)

  1. Hop ends in one short vowel (o) and one consonant (p).
  2. Double the p before -ed: h-o-p-p-e-d.
  3. Without doubling it would say hoped.

He is the ___ runner in our class. (fit + est)

  1. Fit has one short vowel and one consonant.
  2. Double the t before -est: f-i-t-t-e-s-t.
  3. You spell fittest.

Try it yourself

  1. double the consonant

    The red bus ___ at the traffic light.

  2. double the consonant

    She accidentally ___ her ice cream cone.

Watch out

  • Doubling consonants after a long vowel or vowel team, such as writing readd-ing instead of reading.

    Only double after a single short vowel (a, e, i, o, u). Never double after two vowels.

Tips

  • The 1-1-1 rule: 1 syllable, 1 short vowel, 1 final consonant = double before vowel suffixes.

Why it works

One vowel followed by one consonant doubles the consonant when adding a suffix starting with a vowel (hop → hopping, not hoping). This preserves the short vowel sound.