Let’s continue with Word Knots, where we discuss common instances of words and phrases that are often confused or misused. In this installment we look at another case where a phrase is often written as one word. Which is correct has been the subject of debate for years.

Once again our source for this is installment is The Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske (Chicago: Writer’s Digest Books). It’s a great book: Check it out.

From Fiske (excerpted):

alright

Idiotic for all right.  

As Fiske says:

The inclusion of alright in dictionaries is indefensible. If many more popular misspelling—of which there are scores—were also entries, dictionaries would be censured by people more sensible than the makers of them.

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The one-word version does indeed appear in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and is listed as follows (excerpted):

alright

adverb or adjective

: ALL RIGHT

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In their Usage Guide that appears below the definition, M-W says that “alright” dates to the mid-19th Century. But they also note that “All right continues to be much more common than alright in published writing.”

I stand with Fiske on this one: for informal writing, “alright” may be acceptable, but I’d prefer to use “all right.”

Once again, details are critical, which is why checking your work is an important step toward ensuring that your intended meaning is clear.

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