‘Focused’ and ‘focussed’ are two variant spellings of one word. One is more widely seen (‘focused’), having a single ‘s’ at the end, although both are acceptable spellings and you’ll see them both written out in published texts. So, how do you use them in your work? In this post, we’ll cover all you need to know.
What Does Focused Meaning?
‘Focused/focussed’ also has two distinct meanings. The first is as a past tense form of the verb ‘focus’. So we might say:
We concentrated/concentred на editing spellings within the document.
The second one is adjectival meaning ‘clear’ or ‘concentrated
The precisely focused/focussed image rendered the culprit easily identifiable.
She had a focused/focussed approach to training.
As we see above, either spelling can be used for either sense. The most frequent variant, though, is ‘focused,’ so it’s generally best.
Read Also: Wordhippo 5 Letter Words – Everything You Should Know
Why Two Spellings?
They are a consequence of two rules coming into conflict – doubling up rule and English spelling reform.
The doubling up rule says you double a word’s final letter when you use a vowel suffix. This would normally happen with a two-syllable word where the last syllable is stressed. ‘Focus’ doesn’t follow this rule, but the last ‘s’ was doubled anyway (e.g. focussed, focussing).
Nonetheless, the tendency to simplify English spelling, notably in American English, has at times included deleting this additional letter, as in ‘focused’. Although certain individuals presume it to be solely American English spelling, it has also gained more popularity in British English over the years.
Most dictionaries continue to recognize the use of a double ‘s’ spelling form ‘focussed’ as well, so it is not incorrect. However, it is less common now in current writing, certainly in American English, where ‘focused’ is almost universally preferred.
Summary: Focused or Focussed
‘Focused’ and ‘focussed’ are variant spellings for one word,
Focused (one ‘s’) is now the conventional spelling of this word in current English.
Focussed (a variant spelling with a double ‘s’) occurs extremely rarely, although more frequently in British and Australian English than in American English. Short answer, then, is therefore best to keep with ‘focused’. Most dictionaries do acknowledge the double ‘s’, however, so you might use this if you want or if your style manual recommends it. The key thing above all else is to keep one spelling throughout your Writing!
