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When Alright and Anymore Aren’t All Right Any More

When Alright and Anymore Aren’t All Right Any More

Jan 16, 2018
3 min read

Even as a proofreader, alright and anymore may not ring any alarm bells. In less formal English, both are common. But two things you may need to know about these words include:

That alright technically isn’t a word.
That anymore (as one word) has a very specific usage.

So put on your editing hats and let’s take a look at how these terms work.

Alright or All Right?

Alright is a very common word. You see it online all the time. You probably use it in emails and texts to friends and family. But it isn’t really a word.

Okay, that’s a bit strong. English is a fluid language and you will find alright in most dictionaries. However, it will also be listed as a non-standard form of all right.

Yes, it’s true: alright should be written as two separate words. And while this spelling is largely fine in informal writing, it should be corrected in formal academic or business documents.

Anymore or Any More?

You may have seen anymore in writing before. And, unlike alright, this is a term you could use in formal English (at least in the USA). However, there are two issues here:

Anymore is mostly used in US English, not other dialects.
When written as one word, this term only applies to duration.

Let’s look at what both of these issues mean for proofreaders.

First, in British English, anymore is still very rare. It isn’t wrong, necessarily, but it may look like an Americanism to some readers. As such, any more should be used in all cases. In US English, though, your client can use anymore as long as they’re writing about duration.

But why do we emphasise ‘duration’ like this? The basic idea is that, in US English:

Anymore (one word) refers to a period of time.
Any more (two words) apples to an amount or number of things.

So, for instance, we could use both words as follows:

I never eat cake anymore.

I couldn’t possibly eat any more cake.

The first sentence above is saying ‘I used to eat cake in the past, but not now’. It is thus like saying ‘I no longer eat cake’. The second is about the quantity of cake: the speaker is not ruling out eating more cake in the future, they are simply full right now.

Don’t tempt me!

If you see anymore in a document, then, remember to check it fits the dialect and situation. If not, you may want to make a correction or raise the issue with your client.