Talk:No one
Isn't No-one one word? Same with nobody? -- Tango
- Both can be used both ways. Add no-one to this if you want, but it normally is used with no dash. Nobody is used now without a dash, but, it was no-body originally and that is still correct. No body without a dash is becoming popular again. Both can be used all three ways without making anyone really upset. I personally think no body means literally "no body" while "nobody" or "no-body" are more metaphorical. I've seen "no body" used to describe corporations and such which don't really have bodies, but behave as if they have the right to trash bodies... not sure if there is similar politics behind usage of no one vs no-one... anyway, that was part of the origin of the word so it's fair use.
- No references are given for the above - probably because they don't exist! The word "nobody" is not given hyphenated in any dictionary I can find, and its hyphenation in modern use (except for the book titled "No-body") is incorrect. Originally, "nobody" was two words, and it has been hyphenated in the past (see Online Etymology Dictionary), but the language has moved on. For "no one", the spelling "noone" is incorrect, and both "no one" and "no-one" are in use. Chambers 20th Century Dictionary lists both spellings without stating any preference, but uses "no-one" in context. However, some other dictionaries just give "no one".
- It makes good sense (and avoids ambiguity) for a pronoun to be a single word, and it's therefore a pity that "no-one" is not very popular at present, and sometimes regarded as an inferior or wrong spelling of "no one". So let's promote the use of "no-one" by choosing to use that spelling (and explaining why, if appropriate), so that lexicographers are encouraged to list it in dictionaries, and maybe it will become the preferred spelling by the next century. We need to seize our opportunities to improve English, rather than allowing it to degrade.