Usage may vary considerably between British and American English in the doubling of a consonant at the end of a word other than
l. If in doubt, consult a reliable English dictionary. However, the following observations generally hold for both variants. The consonants
t and
r double before the endings
ed and
ing if the last syllable of the root word is stressed.
 | The Department will admit students who meet the following requirements. |
| The Dean admitted that faculty disruptions were inevitable. |
| Students must submit their assignments in the agreed format. |
| Applicants who are submitting their papers in June should fill in the following form. |
| The Rector will confer an honorary doctorate on two renowned sociologists. |
| The University has rarely conferred such degrees in this academic field. |
| Faculty members will refer all complaints to the Dean. |
| Reliable international research should be referred to for clarification. |
In contrast, for two-syllable words whose first syllable is stressed, the final consonant is not doubled.
open ['əʊpən] | opening | opened |
focus [f'əʊkəs] | focusing | focused |
target [t'ɑ:gɪt] | targeting | targeted |
In British English the exception to this are two-syllable words ending in
p, where the final consonant is doubled even when the principal stress is on the first syllable.
| The new dean plans to equip laboratories with the latest technology. |
| The science labs are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments. |
