Literacy & Learning - Other Resources (2024)

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Spelling Patterns in English EXAMPLES

Spelling Patterns in English

Sound Patterns	Structural Patterns	Meaning Patterns
Consonants Initial Clusters Word List Final Clusters Word List	Suffixes Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs
Vowels Word List	Prefixes	Assessment
Multi-Syllabic Words	1-1-1 Rule	References

There is one "rule" in English spelling that holds 100% of the time! That is the 1-1-1 Rule. Here's what it says:

Words of one syllable (1) ending in a single consonant (1) immediately preceded by a single vowel (1) double the consonant before a suffixal vowel (-ing, -ed) but not before a suffixal consonant (-tion).

In other words:

1 syllable
1 vowel (lax/short)
1 consonant following the vowel
Hence: the 1-1-1 Rule

Words that have more than one consonant after the vowel don't double
Words with a tense (long) 'e' vowel drop the 'e' before adding '-ing' or '-ed' with no doubling of consonant

EXAMPLES

1-1-1 WORDS - doubling
run	running
stop	stopping, stopped
trip	tripping, tripped
drop	dropping, dropped
snap	snapping, snapped
hem	hemming, hemmed
plan	planning, planning
clip	clipping, clipped
blur	blurring, blurred
knit	knitting, knitted
flip	flipping, flipped
scar	scarring, scarred

1-1-2 WORDS - no doubling
tramp	tramping, tramped
drink	drinking
twist	twisting, twisted
melt	melting, melted

C(C)Ve WORDS - tense vowel - no doubling
grade	grading, graded
scrape	scraping, scraped
glide	gliding, glided

This rule also applies to multisyllabic words although with some exceptions:

Words ending in a single consonant (1) immediately preceded by a single vowel bearing primary stress (1) double the consonant before a suffixal vowel (-ing, -ed) but not before a suffixal consonant (-tion).

MULTISYLLABLE WORDS - doubling
abet	abetting, abetted
begin	beginning
acquit	acquitted, acquitting
control	controlling, controlled, controller
propel	propelling, propelled
regret	regretting, regretted

The following words in Canadian/British spelling double the consonant (they don't in US spelling); both spellings are acceptable although the Canadian/British version is the most frequently used. Notice, these words all end in 'l'.