Give me a word with three consecutive double letters. I’ll give you a couple of words that almost qualify, but don’t. For example, the word committee, c-o-m-m-i-t-t-e-e. It would be great except for the ‘i’ that sneaks in there. Or Mississippi: M-i-s-s-i-s-s-ip-p-i. If you could take out those i’s it would work. But there is a word that has three consecutive pairs of letters and to the best of my knowledge this may be the only word. Of course there are probably 500 more but I can only think of one. What is the word?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The word you’re thinking of is bookkeeper (or its variant bookkeeping). It contains three consecutive double letters: oo, kk, and ee.
Explanation:
The quest for a word with three consecutive double letters is a fascinating one, and “bookkeeper” is indeed a rare example. To break it down:
- The first pair of consecutive doubles is oo (bookoo).
- The second is kk (bokkeeper).
- The third is ee (bookkeeeper).
The reason this word stands out is because of how English spelling tends to evolve with phonetic changes and irregularities. The combinations of double letters in “bookkeeper” happen to align in a very specific sequence, making it one of the few words in the language with this rare characteristic.
Interestingly, “bookkeeping” also works as it follows the same pattern with oo, kk, and ee, and is often used interchangeably with “bookkeeper” to refer to the profession or practice of managing financial records.
This word is not just a linguistic curiosity but also an example of how compound words can form with doubled letters. While there may be some other candidates, none match the exact sequence of consecutive double letters as perfectly as “bookkeeper.” It remains the most widely recognized example in the English language.