Accommodate is one of those classic spelling traps: it sounds smooth, but it’s packed with letters. The mix-up usually happens with accomodate—missing a letter that matters. If you want the standard spelling every dictionary recognizes, keep reading.
Correct Form vs Incorrect Form
✅ Correct
accommodate (two c’s, two m’s)
❌ Incorrect
accomodate (missing one “m”)
In standard English, accommodate is the accepted spelling for every meaning—space, needs, and adjustment. ✅Source
What Accommodate Means
Accommodate is a flexible verb. In everyday English, it usually points to space or needs—either making room, providing a place, or adjusting for something.
Space, Capacity, Lodging
Space Capacity Lodging
Use accommodate when something can hold people or things, or when someone is given a place to stay. Think: rooms, seats, schedules, storage, guests.
Adjusting, Allowing for, Helping
Adjust Allow For Help
Accommodate also means to make an adjustment or take something into account. It can even mean doing someone a helpful favor.
- Provide room or space: “The venue can accommodate 300 people.”
- Provide lodging: “The hotel will accommodate guests.”
- Adjust or allow for: “The plan was changed to accommodate new requirements.”
- Do something helpful for someone: “They accommodated me with a ride.”
Why Accomodate Is Wrong
Accomodate looks believable because the word is often pronounced quickly, and the double consonants don’t feel “loud” when you say it. Still, the standard spelling is accommodate, with two c’s and two m’s.
What changes in the misspelling? The most common slip is dropping the second m. Another frequent slip is dropping one c.
| Form | Status | What’s Off |
|---|---|---|
| accommodate | ✅ Correct | Nothing—this is the standard spelling. |
| accomodate | ❌ Wrong | Missing one m (should be mm). |
| acommodate | ❌ Wrong | Missing one c (should be cc). |
| accomadate | ❌ Wrong | Missing one m and the vowel pattern shifts. |
| accomdate | ❌ Wrong | Letters get dropped in the middle. |
| accomidate | ❌ Wrong | Vowel swap in the middle (i instead of o). |
Those misspellings (including accomodate) show up often enough that major dictionaries list them explicitly as common misspellings. ✅Source
How The Word Is Built
The spelling makes more sense when you look at the history. Accommodate comes from Latin accommodāre, built from parts meaning “to” and “suitable.” That background helps explain why the word keeps its double consonants in standard English spelling. ✅Source
- Chunking
- ac-com-mo-date (four beats, easy to scan)
- Double Letters
- cc and mm are part of the standard spelling, even though everyday speech may not “sound” like it.
- Common Confusion Point
- accomodate drops the second m, but the standard form does not.
Grammar and Common Patterns
Accommodate is usually transitive (it takes an object). You’ll often see it with a thing (a room, a plan, a system) or a person/group (guests, students, clients).
- accommodate + noun: “The schedule can accommodate changes.”
- accommodate + noun + with + noun: “They accommodated her with extra time.”
- accommodate yourself + to + noun: “He accommodated himself to the new pace.”
- accommodate to + noun (more formal): “Some people accommodate to change quickly.”
Many learner dictionaries treat “accommodate to” as a formal pattern and also show the reflexive form “accommodate yourself to.” ✅Source
Related Words and Close Relatives
The same spelling pattern shows up across the whole family: accommodation, accommodations, and accommodating. If you keep the cc and mm in mind, the rest of the family stays consistent.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning in Plain English | Common Spelling Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| accommodation | Noun | Lodging or an adjustment that makes something work. | accomodation (drops one “m”) |
| accommodations | Noun (plural) | Rooms/places to stay, or practical arrangements for needs. | accomodations |
| accommodating | Adjective / Participle | Helpful, flexible, willing to adjust. | accomodating |
| accommodative | Adjective | Describes something that adjusts or makes room (often technical). | Missing mm or cc |
Common Family Mix-Ups
Most confusion happens inside the same word family. People learn accommodate, then later write accomodation or accomodations because the middle of the word feels “optional.” It isn’t in standard spelling.
Keep These Separate
- accommodate (verb): action—make room, adjust, provide
- accommodation (noun): result—lodging or an adjustment
- accommodations (plural noun): rooms/arrangements—still keeps cc and mm
A Small Detail That Helps
If you scan the word and spot cc + mm early, you’re almost always looking at the standard form. If you see a single m in the middle, that’s where the slip usually is.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “Accomodate” Ever Correct?
No. In standard English, accomodate is a misspelling. The accepted form is accommodate, with two c’s and two m’s.
How Many C’s and M’s Are in “Accommodate”?
Accommodate has two c’s and two m’s. The most common error is writing accomodate with only one “m.”
Does the Spelling Change in UK vs US English?
No. Accommodate is spelled the same in both British and American English. The difference you’ll notice more often is pronunciation, not spelling.
What’s the Difference Between “Accommodate” and “Accommodation”?
Accommodate is a verb (an action): you accommodate a need, a guest, or a change. Accommodation is a noun (a thing/result): the lodging or the adjustment itself.
Can You “Accommodate” People and Things?
Yes. You can accommodate people (guests, visitors, students) and also things (files, equipment, schedule changes). The core idea is making room or making an adjustment.
Is “Accommodate to” Correct English?
It can be, but it’s more formal. You’ll often see accommodate used with an object (“accommodate changes”), and also as accommodate yourself to something when describing adjustment.