How to spell English compounds in two simple steps

Do you often wonder whether you should spell compounds as a single word (hotdog), as two words (hot dog) or with a hyphen (hot-dog)? Then this website is for you!

Use this quick and easy webtool to find out the most likely spelling of English compounds and learn in a short video tutorial how to apply its simple trick yourself!

Compounds are combinations of two or more words, which together form a new word, as when bed and room combine into bedroom. This website helps you spell compound nouns (lipstick), verbs (to blow-dry) and adjectives (world-famous).

All spelling suggestions are based on the linguistic research described in Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer's book English Compounds and their Spelling.

1. Write the two parts of your compound word (e.g. bed+room) into the two fields below.

Which compound would you like to spell?

Video tutorial

Discover in this short video tutorial [3:36 mins] how an easy rule of thumb can help you spell English compounds offline.