One word, or two?

"Alot" isn't a word. Always write "a lot" — two words, every time.

Brew tip If you can say "a little," you can say "a lot." Both take a space.

Formal writing prefers "all right." "Alright" is fine in dialogue and casual prose.

Brew tip In a report, two words. In a song lyric, one is fine.

"Altogether" = entirely or on the whole. "All together" = in one place or at one time.

Brew tip If you can split "all" and "together" without losing sense, use two words.

"Anymore" = any longer (time). "Any more" = additional (quantity).

Brew tip Time → one word. Quantity → two words.

"Anyone" = any person. "Any one" = any single item in a group.

Brew tip Same rule as everyone: if "of X" follows, split it.

"Anyway" means "regardless." "Any way" means "any method at all."

Brew tip If you can swap in "regardless," it's one word.

"Apart" means "separate." "A part" is a noun phrase — "a part of the team."

Brew tip Exact opposites, one space apart. "Apart" = separate; "a part" = belonging.

"Awhile" is an adverb ("stay awhile"). "A while" is a noun phrase after "for," "in," "ago."

Brew tip After a preposition, split it: for a while, in a while, a while ago.

"Break-in" (hyphen) is the noun (event). "Break in" is the verb (what the burglar did).

Brew tip The noun usually takes a hyphen, not a solid form.

"Breakdown" is the noun (cost breakdown). "Break down" is the verb (the car broke down).

Brew tip If it's a thing or a chart — one word. If it's an action — two.

"Breakup" is the noun (the event). "Break up" is the verb (what they did).

Brew tip "After the breakup, they didn't break up again." Noun, then verb.

"Cannot" is the standard form. "Can not" is only right for emphasis or parallel "not only… but also…".

Brew tip In 99% of sentences: one word. If in doubt, use "cannot."

Always two words: "come about." There's no noun "comeabout."

Brew tip If you mean "happen," keep the words apart.

Always two words: "come across." No closed form in standard English.

Brew tip Most "come + preposition" combinations stay separate.

Always three separate words: "come up with." No closed or hyphenated form.

Brew tip Three-word phrasals (come up with, put up with) never fuse.

"Cutback" is the noun (a reduction). "Cut back" is the verb (to reduce).

Brew tip "Cutbacks came after they cut back spending." Noun, then verb.

"Cutoff" is the noun/adjective (cutoff date). "Cut off" is the verb (she cut off the power).

Brew tip Before a noun — one word. After a subject — two.

"Everyday" is an adjective ("everyday shoes"). "Every day" means "each day."

Brew tip Swap in "each day" — if it still fits, use two words.

"Everyone" = all people. "Every one" emphasises each individual item, often with "of."

Brew tip If "of them" follows, split it: "every one of them."

Always two words: "fall behind." There is no closed form.

Brew tip Two-syllable particles (behind, across, about) never fuse with the verb.

"Fallthrough" is niche legal/programming jargon. In everyday English, always "fall through."

Brew tip Unless you're writing code or a contract, use two words.

Always two words: "fed up." There's no closed or standard hyphenated form.

Brew tip "Fed" and "up" never combine. "I'm fed up," never "I'm fedup."

"Giveaway" is the noun — a free item or a revealing clue. "Give away" is the verb.

Brew tip "It was a giveaway that she gave away the answer."

"Holdup" is the noun — a delay or a robbery. "Hold up" is the verb — wait or support.

Brew tip The event = one word. The action = two.

"Into" shows motion. "In to" is "in" followed by an infinitive or particle — "came in to say hi."

Brew tip If you can pause after "in" without changing meaning, it's two words.

Always two words: "look into." There's no closed form in standard English.

Brew tip Phrasal verbs with "into" and "onto" never fuse with the base verb.

"Look over" is the verb (review). There is no standard noun "lookover."

Brew tip If you mean "review" or "inspect," keep them apart.

"Lookup" is the noun/adjective (a lookup table). "Look up" is the verb (look it up).

Brew tip If you can split with a pronoun — "look it up" — it's two words.

"Makeup" is the noun (cosmetics, composition). "Make up" is the verb (reconcile, invent).

Brew tip If "they" or "he" or "she" can do it, it's two words.

Same rule as the reconcile sense: the noun is one word; the verb is two.

Brew tip "He made up a story" — verb, two words. The story is a makeup — no, it's fiction.

"Nobody" = no person. "No body" means literally no physical body.

Brew tip Unless you mean an actual body, it's one word.

"Onto" shows movement to a surface. "On to" is phrasal — "move on to the next step."

Brew tip Try adding "up" before it: "up onto the stage" works; "up on to the next step" doesn't.

"Overall" is the modern spelling for every sense. "Over-all" is a dated variant.

Brew tip Drop the hyphen — it's been one word for decades.

Modern English closes it up: "overconfident," no hyphen. The hyphen is dated.

Brew tip Most OVER- compounds (overreact, overrule, overwork) are one word.

"Put off" is the verb (postpone). The noun "put-off" (hyphen) is rare and dated.

Brew tip As a verb — always two words. "Let's put it off."

"Setup" is the noun (the whole setup). "Set up" is the verb (she set it up).

Brew tip If a subject did it, it's two words. If it's a thing, one word.

Always two words: "show up." There's no noun "showup" — the event is a "showing."

Brew tip If someone arrived, they showed up — two words.

"Sometime" = at an unspecified time. "Some time" = a period of time.

Brew tip If "a while" fits, use two words: "it's been some time."

"Sometimes" (one word) is the frequency adverb. "Some times" is almost never what you want.

Brew tip If it answers "how often?" — one word.

Always two words: "speak up." There's no closed form.

Brew tip If you're telling someone to be louder, it's two words — every time.

"Standby" is the noun/adjective (standby passenger). "Stand by" is the verb (please stand by).

Brew tip Before a noun — one word. After a subject — two.

"Standout" is the noun/adjective (a standout performance). "Stand out" is the verb.

Brew tip Before a noun — one word. After a subject — two.

"Take-up" (hyphen) is a narrow technical noun. "Take up" is the everyday verb.

Brew tip As a verb, always two words: "she took up painting."

"Takeover" is the noun (a hostile takeover). "Take over" is the verb (she took over).

Brew tip If you can swap in "assume control," it's a verb — two words.

"Turn-in" (hyphen) is a narrow noun. "Turn in" is the everyday verb (submit).

Brew tip As a verb — two words. "Turn in your homework," never "turnin it."

"Turndown" is narrow — "turndown service" at a hotel. "Turn down" is the verb (reject).

Brew tip As a verb, always two words. The solid form is hotel jargon.

"Turnout" is the noun (voter turnout). "Turn up" is the verb (she didn't turn up).

Brew tip Different words: TURNOUT for the crowd, TURN UP for the action.

Both are accepted; "underway" has been the dominant form in all senses since the 1990s.

Brew tip One word is safer in modern writing. Two words isn't wrong — just older.

"Workout" is the noun (a gym session). "Work out" is the verb (I work out daily).

Brew tip "I did a workout" vs "I will work out." Noun, then verb.

Hyphenate before a noun: "a worn-out couch." After a verb: "the couch is worn out."

Brew tip Before a noun, link with a hyphen. After "is," let the words breathe.