Doubled consonant before -er
redder, gladder, propeller
listed by level
The rule that a single consonant after a short vowel like /i/ is doubled before -er is most commonly learnt with comparative adjectives like “slimmer”. However, the same pattern is also true and more common in nouns ending with -er like “winner” and “runner”. In all cases, the -er can act like the Magic E in “slime”, “wine” and “rune”, so a doubled consonant is needed to “block” a change in vowel sound.
Elementary-level words with doubled consonant before -er
- redder
- sadder
- bigger
- jogger
- drummer
- programmer
- swimmer
- runner
- thinner
- winner
- rapper
- slipper
- fatter
- hotter
Pre-intermediate-level words with doubled consonant before -er
- blogger
- controller
- hammer
- slimmer
- planner
- scanner
- wrapper
- zipper
- batter
- cutter
- fitter
Intermediate-level words with doubled consonant before -er
- bidder
- gladder
- madder
- shredder
- inner
- upper
- hitter
- flatter
- wetter
Upper-intermediate-level words with doubled consonant before -er
- digger
- mugger
- dimmer
- scammer
- spammer
- sinner
- hipper
- shipper
- shopper
- zapper
- blotter
- chatter
- knitter
- plotter
- quitter
- shutter
- trainspotter
Advanced-level words with doubled consonant before -er
- kidder
- plodder
- sledder
- bootlegger
- bragger
- debugger
- flogger
- hugger
- logger
- slugger
- smugger
- snugger
- propeller
- sniveller
- tunneller
- glummer
- hummer
- primmer
- gunner
- spinner
- stunner
- tanner
- tenner
- bopper
- chopper
- clapper
- clipper
- dipper
- dropper
- flipper
- flopper
- hopper
- mapper
- napper
- popper
- scrapper
- sipper
- skipper
- slapper
- snapper
- stepper
- stopper
- stripper
- swapper
- tipper
- topper
- trapper
- whipper
- hatter
- jotter
- potter
- rotter
- setter
- spitter
- splatter
- splitter
- squatter
- swatter
- trotter