I see both “traveled” and “travelled” commonly used but is one more proper? Are there rules for the use of double consonants when adding a suffix to a word?
This argument comes up frequently at work when we have to write reports.
Both are correct. “Traveled” is preferred, but “travelled” is not an error. Just be consistent: use one or the other in your report, but not both.
The “rule” is “whatever is used more often is preferred.”
ca. 23,000,000 hits for “travelled” and ca. 69,000,000 for “traveled” on Google. It appears that I am once again in the minority (what’s wrong with me?). Further investigation looks like the double-L is British and Canadian and the single-L is US usage. ::shrug:: I also know what homo milk and hosers are, so forgive my preference for the double-L even though I be American.
Yes. So Celyn uses “travelled”.
I agree, though if your workplace has its own style guide, or has set a standard of using someone else’s style guide, it may specify a preference. (Same deal with “cancelled” and “canceled”.)
The rule I always knew was an accented syllable got the letter doubled, an unaccented one did not. Hence repelled and inferred, but traveled and canceled.
Its always double-L in the UK and Australia, and its always seems to be single-L in US books and magazines I have read.
Amazing how many spelling-related questions come up on here. Does nobody own dictionaries in this internet age?
As stated above, one L in the US, two Ls in the UK (and most other English-speaking countries, I believe).
I own lots of dictionaries. None of them are consistent on this matter. It was only in the past year that I first heard of the UK/US distinction.
Pardon the hijack, but this isn’t enough for a new thread.
I’ve always thought that story was a tale and that storey is a level of a building. I probably picked it up from reading Edgar Allan Poe when I was little. But lately I’ve seen story used as a part of a building. Webster has it as the preferred spelling.
So is my spelling a couple of centuries out of date? When did storey become story?
Interesting. In the UK we certainly preserve the distinction. When I first saw a reference to a “50-story building” I thought it was a typo, but I’m pretty sure I’ve always seen it spelt that way in American writing.
But hey, if you and Edgar want to uphold a fine British spelling, we’re not gonna stop you…
“Traveling” looks wrong to me and I’ve always lived in the US. It looks like it should be pronounced “Trave-ling”.
American here, but I will stick with “judgment” just because I like it better.
Is that a UK/US thing? I grew up reading a lot of 19th century English authors so it could be??
Simple. You must be secretly British. 
Hm. I always thought Poe was an American author. :rolleyes:
Yes, but, he was born in Boston, wasn’t he? I’m led to believe they talk(ed) quite posh round there. And he went to boarding school in London for a couple of years. Hell, the man was almost a Cockney 