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Why accommodate has two C's and two M's
Latin prefixes reshape themselves - and leave double letters.
Grades 9-12
The rule
Latin prefixes such as ad-, in-, com-, sub- and ob- change their last letter to match the root they are stuck onto. That is where most surprising double letters come from.
How it works
| ad + commodate = accommodate | ad becomes ac, and the root has mm |
| ad + gress = aggression | ad becomes ag |
| ad + pear = appear | ad becomes ap |
| in + legible = illegible | in becomes il |
| in + mortal = immortal | in becomes im |
| sub + fer = suffer | sub becomes suf |
| ob + press = oppress | ob becomes op |
Watch out for
- This explains the words people most often get wrong: accommodate, occurrence, aggressive, irresistible and illiterate all double for the same reason.
- It is the opposite of the plain prefix rule — there the spelling never changes (misspell), here the prefix bends to fit.