Focused / Focussed ?

[minceorotherwise]

Hmmm, I think I can use either in this sentence - but which is preferable?

This season we are focusing/focussing on hats

Or

This season focuses on hats

Any thoughts ?

I would use the first version of the sentence because a season itself cannot focus on something. I would use the single 's'; the double 'ss' tends to be used more in American writing, although it's not a fixed rule I don't think.

That makes sense
Thank you !
I needed to get this finished today and now I can !

"Focusing" is the more common spelling in the US.

OK - anyone else of that opinion ? I think I'll go with the general consensus as it's a website
Thanks in advance for any opinions !!!

I always spell with double 's' per the phonological rule that doubles the consonant after a short vowel, and that gives us compel - compelling, chat - chatting, scrub - scrubbing. Issue seems to be not many verbs end in a single -s, many more in --ss. What about gas, when it means to talk a lot or to suffocate or poison using gas? Gassing. Can't think of many others. "Non-plussed" from Fr. non plus looks like an English past participle made the same way.

Of course the reason why this is an unusual verb form is because focus, like gas, is really a noun. It's just been hijacked as a verb in the way that we 'friend' people or 'heart' stuff on the Internet. We should really write something like "to put into focus".

I think it is 'focused' rather than 'focussed' because the stress in the word 'focus' is on the first syllable. I think it is 'targeted' rather than 'targetted' for the same reason.

The stress in the word compel is on the second syllable, so 'compelled' is fine.