Learn Swedish: Sömmerskan är öm i fingret idag. - The seamstress's finger is sore today.

In Swedish, a short vowel is usually followed by a double consonant to show it is short. However, words ending in 'm' are an exception: 'm' is almost never doubled at the very end of a root word, so we write öm instead of "ömm". If you add a vowel ending, like making the adjective plural, the double consonant appears to protect the short vowel (making it ömma).

How does the spelling of sömmerskan connect to this same rule?

The root of sömmerskan is söm (a seam). Just like öm, it is written with a single 'm' in its base form despite having a short 'ö'. When the suffix -erska (indicating a female profession) is added, the 'm' is no longer at the end of the word, so it doubles to mm to keep the vowel short.

The English translation says "The seamstress's finger," but the Swedish uses i fingret. Why?

When talking about pain or physical sensations, Swedish typically uses the structure "to be [adjective] in [the body part]." Furthermore, Swedish prefers using the definite article (fingret - the finger) rather than a possessive pronoun like "her" when context makes it obvious whose body part it is.

Why is it spelled fingret instead of "fingeret"?