Why is pollen spelled like this but pollination this?

You're right to notice that "pollen" and "pollination" seem like they should be spelled more similarly! The reason for the difference lies in their origins and historical development.

* Pollen comes from the Latin word "pollen," which itself is likely derived from the Greek word "palynē," meaning "fine flour" or "dust."

* Pollination is a more recent word, coined in the 18th century. It's formed by adding the "-ation" suffix to "pollen" to indicate the process of transferring pollen.

The extra "l" in "pollination" was likely added to make the word sound more familiar and less like a direct adaptation of the Latin "pollen." This is a common phenomenon in language, where words are adapted and modified to fit existing patterns and sounds.

So, while they share the same root, "pollen" and "pollination" have taken slightly different paths in their linguistic journey, resulting in their unique spellings.