Cell Phones, Cellphones, and Spelling Security

You’re not alone if you find it difficult to decide whether to write some terms as one word or two.

Language is constantly evolving — usually in the direction of turning two-word terms into single words. Here are two terms that debuted in the ’80s:

As for your cellphone, if you’re not a Verizon user, set up a voice mail password and use it.

Ron Lieber, “Your Phone May Be Less Secure Than You Thought,” nytimes.com, August 19, 2011

Merriam-Webster publishes authoritative dictionaries and an up-to-date website. The company lists cell phone as two words and voice mail as two words.

Webster’s lists Web site as two words, but it also lists website as an accepted spelling. Since many two-word terms melt together over time, the widely recognized terms voicemail and cellphone make perfect sense as one-word terms.

You can find the Webster’s site by typing m-w.com. Remembering the spelling “m-w” can help you feel secure about any spelling and word choices you make.

Using Webster’s spellings is always safe when you’re writing a formal document. The way you spell voicemail matters far less in a business proposal than your spelling words like effect and affect correctly.

Write It Well’s book Essential Grammar includes a chapter on commonly confused and misspelled words. We’ve made all the book’s exercises available as a free download here to accompany the e-book, which is now available on Amazon.com!

Do you have an important document but not enough time to untangle your sentences or double-check your punctuation and spelling? Just use Write It Well’s editing services to make sure your readers follow your ideas and respect your voice.