Using “rivetted” (double t) is correct? [duplicate]
Solution 1:
The Oxford English Dictionary lists both: riveted, rivetted. But it seems in both US and UK, riveted is currently the more common.
Ngram:
"direct (one’s eyes or attention) intently" matches the quotation given.
Solution 2:
It should be riveted to be correct.
The rule for doubling a trailing T is when it's stressed. For example:
- targeted - pronounced as TAR-ge-tid, same for targeting (marketed, marketing)
- regretted - pronounced as ri-GRE-tid, same for regretting (admitted, admitting and for all single-syllable words like chat, plot, put, sit etc.)
Given rivet is pronounced as RI-vit (Wiktionary), riveted should not have double T. I would've spoken ri-VE-tid had I seen rivetted.
P.S. The same rule applies to a wide range of words ending in vowel + consonant, like cap, repel, rob, blur, etc.