“Everyday” can be one word if an adjective, or two words as an adverbial phrase. “Each other” is a pronoun phrase that is always written as two words. Though the single-word “daycare” is occasionally used, the two-word “day care” is the more common spelling, and the one endorsed by the Associated Press. Hackers pose a serious cybersecurity risk. The company takes cybersecurity seriously. But the Associated Press mandates it as a single word, so “cybersecurity” is the best spelling to go with, whether it’s a noun or an adjective. Is “cyber security” one word or two?Īs it’s a relatively recent addition to the language, sources differ on whether “cybersecurity” is one word or two. The au pair has excellent childcare experience. Similarly, when it’s an adjective, “childcare” is the prevalent form, though some writers use “child care” or “child-care.” For example: “Childcare” is typically written as one word when it’s a noun, though “child care” is an acceptable variant. For example:Įd spends too much time on his cell phone.Īpple is a popular cell phone manufacturer. “Cell phone” is always two words, whether as a noun or an adjective. Nell can not only bake cakes, she can bake pies, too. The exception is the rare case when “not” is part of a separate phrase like “not only,” in which case “can not” would be correct. “Cannot” is almost always correct in formal writing, though informally you can also use the contraction “can’t”. Tariq is hosting a barbecue in his back yard. As a noun, either “backyard” or the two-word “back yard” is acceptable, though two words is typically favored.

If an adjective, use the single word “backyard”. I have been waiting awhile for the train. It will take a while for the train to arrive. “Awhile” is an adverb that works like a contracted form of the phrase “for a while”. “A while” is a noun phrase referring to an unspecified period of time. “Apart” is an adverb denoting separation, whereas “a part” is a noun phrase referring to a section of a whole. The single word “anytime,” however, can work as an adverb. The two-word form “any time” is always correct, as either a quantity or an adverb. The two-word phrase “any more” refers to quantities, while the single word “anymore” is an adverb that refers to time. For example:īasketball training is an after-school activity. Use the hyphenated “after-school” if the phrase is used as an adjective, or two words as an adverbial phrase. It’s not to be confused with “allot,” a verb meaning to allocate or set aside. “A lot” should always be spelled as two words. Here are 50 common examples that can cause confusion. To help you avoid these errors, we've created this extensive guide on whether you should write a phrase in one or two words. This is one of the most common mistakes in the English language.īut whether you're a writer or a trainee editor, these simple mistakes can make you look unprofessional and even lose clients or job opportunities. Variable (note that this change is not always appropriate parameter may be correct in a mathematical context.Do you often get confused whether you should write a term as one word or two? Don't worry–you're not alone. low-energy diet, % of energy from fat note that the abbreviation VLCD is acceptable)Ĭyclic AMP (or use cAMP as a defined abbreviation)Ĭase-cohort (with hyphen − N-rule is not appropriate as cases fall within the cohort)Ĭoxsackie (upper case C as named after the town of Coxsackie, although sometimes lower case when used as the vernacular Coxsackie B virus and Coxsackievirus B are both acceptable)Ĭ statistic (upper case C, non-italic, no hyphen) C- or COOH-terminal (hyphen optional with terminus)Įnergy (e.g.

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