spelling: 'semicolon' or 'semi-colon'

[MariaTeresa]

Hello.

I have a spelling doubt, 'semicolon'/ 'semi-colon' : are both words accepted; is one of them BE and the other AE;or ...:roll:

Can you help me, please? Thank you in advance.

 

[5jj]

I have a spelling doubt, 'semicolon'/ 'semi-colon' : are both words accepted; is one of them BE and the other AE;

How many times a year do you actually have to write the word? Stop worrying; if you get it wrong, it's not exactly the end of the world.

Just to be a little more unhelpful, the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary has semi-colon, but the Concise Oxford Dictionary has semicolon. If two authoritative dictionaries from the same authoritative publisher can't agree, why should we worry?

 

[MariaTeresa]

Hi fivejedjon

I have both feet on the ground. Therefore, a spelling doubt is just what it is, a spelling doubt; never the end of the world. But I was curious about it, anyway. Thank you for your answer.

 

[TheParser]

Hello.

I have a spelling doubt, 'semicolon'/ 'semi-colon' : are both words accepted; is one of them BE and the other AE;or ...:roll:

Can you help me, please? Thank you in advance.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Maria Teresa,


I am 99.99% confident in saying that Americans spell the word

without a hyphen. Using a hyphen would make it stand out too

much and attract unneeded attention. If you are writing for an

American audience, I respectfully suggest that you write it as

semicolon.


***** NOT A TEACHER *****


P.S. I checked the books that newspaper reporters use as a

guide to spelling and punctuation. They all instruct reporters

to forget the hyphen.