Dishevelling

/dɪˈʃɛvəlɪŋ/ verb

Definition

British spelling of the present participle of 'dishevel'; making messy or disarranging.

Etymology

British variant spelling of 'disheveling,' following British English convention of doubling the final consonant before adding '-ing' to single-syllable or stressed-syllable verbs ending in a consonant after a short vowel.

Kelly Says

British and American English actually started with the same spelling, but they diverged in the 1800s when American lexicographers like Noah Webster decided to simplify spelling—so 'dishevelling' became 'disheveling' in American English.

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