Electronic mail is often shortened to email or e-mail. Is there a difference between them? Let’s look into it!
Proper use of E-mail
E-mail can be used as a noun or a verb.
When used as a noun, it stands for electronic mail and describes digital messages sent electronically.
For example,
Jody sent Rupert an e-mail about the event.
Sara drafted an e-mail and will send it later.
When used as a verb, e-mail refers to sending an electronic message.
For example,
She e-mailed her boss, but he didn’t respond.
The assignment was e-mailed on Tuesday.
Proper use of Email
Email is simply another way to spell e-mail. Both spellings are correct and widely used. However, the hyphenated version is more common than email.
These terms were coined in the 1980s but became more widely used in the 1990s.
How to Choose E-mail or Email
There isn’t a standard answer to this. E-mail was the original word and is still the more popular spelling. However, The AP Stylebook says that email is also acceptable.
There are other words that do require a hyphen with e. Two examples are e-commerce and e-book.
Conclusion
Should you use email or e-mail? E-mail and email both refer to electronic messaging, but e-mail is more common.
