Understand When to Double the Consonant in Two-Syllable Words

Have you ever wondered why the word writing has one 't' in the middle but the word written has two 't's?

In writing the first 'i' is long, like the 'i' in kite, so there is only one 't', but in written the 'i' is short, like the 'i' in hit, so there are two 't's.

The rule for most words is:

short vowel sound = double consonant

long vowel sound = single consonant

Is it beettle or beetle?

The 'ee' sound is long, like the 'ee' in meet, so only a single 't' is needed. The correct spelling is beetle.

Let's try some questions so that you can practise this.

Keep a close look-out for those long and short vowel sounds!