No-one, Noone, or No One—Which Is Correct?

  • No one is correct.
  • No-one is a less common variant form. It’s best to adhere to the two-word version.
  • Noone is incorrect.

Too many choices can sometimes confuse you, but with no one, it’s simple to learn which should be your go-to spelling.

No-oneNoone, or No One?

The proper way to spell no one is as two words, with no hyphen:

EXAMPLE      No one warned us about the incoming storm.

EXAMPLE      We went to the schoolyard, but there was no one there.

If you add a hyphen to no one, you get an uncommon variant spelling of the word: no-one. Although technically it’s not wrong, you cannot always use the hyphenated version rather than no one:

Incorrect    No-one person can eat that much pizza.

Correct       No one person can eat that much pizza.

Noone is not a satisfactory way to spell no one in any context:

Incorrect    We owe nothing and noone .

Correct       We owe nothing and no one .

Examples

“What’s the definition of a string quartet? One good violinist, one bad violinist, one former violinist and someone who doesn’t even like the violin.”

No one leading, no one following.”

“At its best … it’s … lovemaking. … At its worst … it’s like … swallowing Drano.”

The New York Times

Earlier, a parenting campaigner named Margaret expressed a similar opinion: “If you can’t provide for your child yourself, then wait ’til you can to have it. Why should the country pay? No one paid me.”

The Guardian

The Prince arrived in the Commonwealth domain of St. Kitts and Nevis after an overnight crossing from Antigua but anchored so early that there was no one there to welcome them.

The Daily Telegraph

There are many reasons for a word to have numerous spellings. Sooner or later, you’ll run across one that will make you second-guess your spelling selections. Camaraderie is that type of word. Minuscule has also become that type of word. And that’s without mentioning all the words that change their spelling depending on the country in which they are used. 


 

Posted by Avatar photo
By Connie Fisher

Connie Fisher is a freelance writer and editor specializing in business writing and marketing. She holds a bachelor's degree in media and journalism and has contributed to a slew of printed and online media, including Contra Costa Times, Daily American, the The Tri-Town News, NYC.com, and many more.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *