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--- Deena Efstathiou <deena -at- edams -dot- com> wrote:
>
> Hi all
>
> I have noticed that setup/set-up (used as a noun) is often spelled in these two
> different ways.
> My colleagues and I are unsure as to which is the correct spelling and thus which
> one to use in our documentation.
My best advice is to pick one and move on. It's fundamentally a stylistic choice.
My personal preference is for "setup." The way hyphenation works in the English
language is that two words when used together commonly move from separate words
through a period of hyphenation to a colision into one word. The simplest exaple of
this is the word "baseball." In the late 19th century, it was commonly spelled as
two words "base ball." Early in the 20th century, it became, for a time,
"base-ball." Eventually, it became as it is now, "baseball."
I think "setup" has gone through a similar transformation and is now one word.
However, if you disagree or feel 'authorities', whatever those may be prefer the
hyphenation, then choose that. But most of all, make a choice, use it consistently,
and move on to the more important aspects of your work. You employer will not
appreciate a lot of dithering over the choice. Your employer will appreciate
consistency in style, accuracy in content, and completion of projects in a timely fashion.
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