Welcome to another installment of words in English that SEEM short and easy, but are actually very hard words to spell! Today we will be exploring the dilemma: It it two words for “no one,” or “noone” with one word? Or, wait — is there a hyphen in the middle like: “no-one?” Luckily, there is an easy answer.
Now, why trust this article? My name is Lillie and I’ve been an English teacher for 18 years — and am also a writer and artist. That means that I’ll be using my hand-sketched cute drawings to illustrate the answer to this spelling question, to make it memorable enough that you’ll always write it correctly in the future!
Spell No One
The correct spelling in the no one vs. noone or no-one question is that it should be spelled as TWO words with a space in the middle, like: “no one.” Above, I’ve created an illustration with a friendly sea urchin drawing to help: You can remember that there is a space between the two Os in “no one” because there is NO ONE between them!
Meanwhile, the spellings “noone” and “no-one” don’t exist, and shouldn’t be used — just like the non-word, “fourty.” If you think about it, that makes life easier, because you’d just want to awkwardly pronounce “noone” like twelve noon, rhyming with “moon.”
Two Words or One?
These “two words versus one” quandaries produce commonly confused words, because sometimes both versions are correct — they just mean different things — and sometimes one is simply misspelled. Let’s look at some examples.
Instances where both space and no-space versions are real words (that just have separate definitions) include: work out or workout, apart vs. a part, and every day vs. everyday. Now, what about instances where one version is just plain wrong?
In the case of in case or incase, “incase” is wrong and shouldn’t be used. As we saw in our “fiction vs. nonfiction article,” the word “nonfiction” is correct, and doesn’t need a space or hyphen in the middle. Finally, with every time or everytime, “everytime” is the bogus spelling that doesn’t exist in reality.
VIDEO: How to Spell No One
No One or Noone?
Now you know: in the no one or noone (or no-one) question, the correct spelling is “no one” — two words with a space in the middle. What other English lessons would you like me to illustrate? Do share!
The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009), TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010), and ReikiColors.com. Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
