Spelling-- If the stress in pronunciation is on the first syllable, do not double the consonant: travel, traveling, traveled; cancel, canceling, canceled. -- If the stress in pronunciation is on the second syllable, double the consonant: control, controlling, controlled; refer, referring, referred. -- If the word has only one syllable, double the consonant except for those words that have a double vowel before the final consonant: jut, jutted, jutting; coat, coated, coating. Every usage manual includes a listing of words frequently misspelled. The following list represents 30 words most writers assume they know how to spell, but often don't.
Don't use shortened forms of words such as thru (for "through"), tho (for "though"), or til (for "until"). Caution: Many word processing computer programs, as well as some electronic typewriters, are equipped with spell-checking features that can automatically correct misspelled words. However, often a writer's misspelled word is another word (such as "bran" instead of "brand" or "fist" instead of "first"). Don't trust any writing tool to catch all your errors. Proofread your product.
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