One word, or two?

"All of a sudden" is the correct idiom — four words with "a," not "the."

Brew tip "The sudden" isn't a thing; "a sudden" goes back to 1558.

"A lot" = a large amount. "Allot" = to assign or distribute. Entirely different words.

Brew tip If you mean "many," it's "a lot" — two words.

"Alot" isn't a word. Always write "a lot" — two words, every time.

Brew tip If you can say "a little," you can say "a lot." Both take a space.

"Already" means by this time. "All ready" means completely prepared.

Brew tip If you can swap in "all prepared," spell it "all ready" — two words.

Formal writing prefers "all right." "Alright" is fine in dialogue and casual prose.

Brew tip In a report, two words. In a song lyric, one is fine.

"Altogether" = entirely or on the whole. "All together" = in one place or at one time.

Brew tip If you can split "all" and "together" without losing sense, use two words.

"Anymore" = any longer (time). "Any more" = additional (quantity).

Brew tip Time → one word. Quantity → two words.

"Anyone" = any person. "Any one" = any single item in a group.

Brew tip Same rule as everyone: if "of X" follows, split it.

"Anyway" means "regardless." "Any way" means "any method at all."

Brew tip If you can swap in "regardless," it's one word.

"Apart" means "separate." "A part" is a noun phrase — "a part of the team."

Brew tip Exact opposites, one space apart. "Apart" = separate; "a part" = belonging.

"Ascend up" is a redundancy — ascend already means to go up. Drop the "up."

Brew tip "Ascend" = go up. Adding "up" doesn't add information.

"Awhile" is an adverb ("stay awhile"). "A while" is a noun phrase after "for," "in," "ago."

Brew tip After a preposition, split it: for a while, in a while, a while ago.

"Backup" (noun/adj): the copy. "Back up" (verb): to make the copy.

Brew tip Noun = one word. Verb = two. "I back up the backup."

"Break-in" (hyphen) is the noun (event). "Break in" is the verb (what the burglar did).

Brew tip The noun usually takes a hyphen, not a solid form.

"Breakdown" is the noun (cost breakdown). "Break down" is the verb (the car broke down).

Brew tip If it's a thing or a chart — one word. If it's an action — two.

"Breakup" is the noun (the event). "Break up" is the verb (what they did).

Brew tip "After the breakup, they didn't break up again." Noun, then verb.

Always two words: "bring about" means cause. No closed form in any register.

Brew tip If you caused it, you brought it about — two words.

Always two words as a verb ("bring up a topic"). No standard closed noun form.

Brew tip Raising a topic? Two words.

"Burnout" (noun, one word): the state. "Burn out" (verb, two words): to reach it.

Brew tip Noun = one word. Verb = two. "I'll burn out before I hit burnout."

"Buy-in" (noun, hyphenated): agreement, support. "Buy in" (verb): to agree or contribute.

Brew tip Noun takes a hyphen; verb stays open. "We need buy-in before we buy in."

Always two words as a verb: "call off" (cancel). The noun "call-off" is rare and British.

Brew tip Cancelled the meeting? You called it off — two words.

"Cannot" is the standard form. "Can not" is only right for emphasis or parallel "not only… but also…".

Brew tip In 99% of sentences: one word. If in doubt, use "cannot."

Always two words: "come about." There's no noun "comeabout."

Brew tip If you mean "happen," keep the words apart.

Always two words: "come across." No closed form in standard English.

Brew tip Most "come + preposition" combinations stay separate.

Always three separate words: "come up with." No closed or hyphenated form.

Brew tip Three-word phrasals (come up with, put up with) never fuse.

"Continue on" is a redundancy in most uses — continue already means to keep going. Drop the "on."

Brew tip Kept going? Just "continued." The "on" is filler.

"Cutback" is the noun (a reduction). "Cut back" is the verb (to reduce).

Brew tip "Cutbacks came after they cut back spending." Noun, then verb.

"Cutoff" is the noun/adjective (cutoff date). "Cut off" is the verb (she cut off the power).

Brew tip Before a noun — one word. After a subject — two.

"Descend down" is a redundancy — descend already means to go down. Drop the "down."

Brew tip "Descend" = go down. Adding "down" is one word too many.

"Enter in" is a redundancy — enter already implies going in. Drop the "in."

Brew tip Filling in a form? "Enter the details," not "enter in the details."

"Everyday" is an adjective ("everyday shoes"). "Every day" means "each day."

Brew tip Swap in "each day" — if it still fits, use two words.

"Everyone" = all people. "Every one" emphasises each individual item, often with "of."

Brew tip If "of them" follows, split it: "every one of them."

"Exit out" is a redundancy — exit already means going out. Drop the "out."

Brew tip "Exit" = out. "Exit out" doubles up for no gain.

Always two words: "fall behind." There is no closed form.

Brew tip Two-syllable particles (behind, across, about) never fuse with the verb.

"Fallthrough" is niche legal/programming jargon. In everyday English, always "fall through."

Brew tip Unless you're writing code or a contract, use two words.

Always two words: "fed up." There's no closed or standard hyphenated form.

Brew tip "Fed" and "up" never combine. "I'm fed up," never "I'm fedup."

Always two words: "figure out" (solve, understand). No closed form.

Brew tip Solving a puzzle? You're figuring it out — two words.

Always three words: "fill in for" (substitute for). A fixed phrasal.

Brew tip Covering a shift? You're filling in for them — three words.

Always two words: "find out" (learn, discover). No closed form.

Brew tip Discovered something? You found it out — two words.

"Follow after" is a redundancy — follow already implies coming after. Drop the "after."

Brew tip Just "follow." Adding "after" repeats the meaning.

The correct phrase is "intents and purposes" — five words. "Intensive purposes" is a classic eggcorn.

Brew tip Intent (noun) + purpose (noun). Both nouns, five words, one fixed idiom.

Always two words: "get ahead" (progress, succeed). No closed form.

Brew tip Climbing the ladder? You're getting ahead — two words.

Always two words: "get along" (have a good relationship). No closed form.

Brew tip Getting along well? Two words, never one.