Focussed vs Focused | Spelling, Explanation & Examples
Both focussed and focused are acceptable in British English as well as American English, and interestingly, the more common form in both varieties of the language is with the single “s.”
Staying focused/focussed in class can be very difficult in the modern world of online distractions.
Thankfully, the earthquake’s epicenter was focused/focussed in a mountainous, sparsely inhabited region.
Focussed or focused
A very common difference between American English and British English is found when adding suffixes to verbs that end in a consonant (e.g., “travel,” “cancel,” or “label”). Typically, in American English the suffix (e.g., “-ed” or “-ing”) is simply added to the word, while in British English the consonant is doubled up (e.g., “travelled” or “cancelling”).
It would be easy to think that the same difference applies to the simple past tense form and past participle of focus.
However, in both American English and British English, this word can be spelled focussed or focused, but by far the most common spelling is focused. The main thing is to remain consistent in your document.
As a surgeon, Marketa had to stay focused/focussed for many hours at a time during operations.
The county crime-prevention strategy focused/focussed on diverting young offenders away from habitual criminal activity.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Five important differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Labor or labour Favor or favour Favorite or favourite Color or colour Honor or honour Flavor or flavour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Theater or theatre Center or centre Meter or metre Liter or litre Saber or sabre Fiber or fibre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Realize or realise Recognize or recognise Analyze or analyse Organize or organise Minimize or minimise Finalize or finalise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Learned or learnt Burned or burnt Kneeled or knelt Dreamed or dreamt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling Canceled or cancelled Labeled or labelled Buses or busses |
| In British English, these same words are spelled with a double consonant. |
Frequently asked questions about focussed vs focused
- Is focussed correct in British English?
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Yes, focussed is correct in British English (and American English), but it is more usual these days for the simple past tense and past participle of this verb to be spelled focused. This is also true for American English.
While it is acceptable to use either spelling, it is best to make sure you only use one in any document to maintain consistency.
You can change the language settings in the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you have the correct US or UK spelling of focussed or focused.
- Is it focussing or focusing?
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It doesn’t matter whether you are using American English or British English because you can use both focussing and focusing in either variant. However, it is much more common to find the single “s” spelling, focusing.
This is also true for the simple past tense and past participle of the verb “focus.” This can be spelled focussed or focused, with the single “s” version also by far the more common form.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker has selectable language options to make sure you have the correct US or UK spelling of focussed or focused.
