We can refer to the AP Stylebook when we want to learn more about hyphenation rules and styles.
This is true regardless of how you choose to use the form. “List” is a noun, and we must treat “to” and “do” as a compound adjective when we want to modify the noun form correctly. “To-do list” is hyphenated whenever we use it. Incorrect: You have a lot on this to do list! Do you think you’ll be able to get it all done? Is “To-Do List” Hyphenated?.It’s just something that I like to keep tabs on while I’m trying to improve. I didn’t realize you were still keeping yourself busy with it. Incorrect: I thought your to do list was completed.Correct: There are a few things on my to-do list that I need to get sorted out first.They have to be grouped with a hyphen whenever we include two adjectives to modify the same word. We cannot write “to do” as two words when they come directly before “list.” This is because they are both used as adjectives. Incorrect: If you’re not looking for anything out of your todo list, why did you bother making it? To do list.Correct: I want a to-do list sorted out.Incorrect: We have a few things on the todo list that need sorting out right now.Correct: You’re not understanding my to-do list jobs at all, are you?.
It’s best to avoid using this form, partially because it’s incorrect, and partially because it’s hard for people to read “todo” as one word. We cannot group “to-do” into one word because it takes away from the meaning of “to” and “do” when hyphenated. The two forms combined turn into a phrasal noun. They state that it’s a noun phrase, where “to-do” is an adjective, and “list” is a noun. The Cambridge Dictionary and The Oxford Dictionary both provide entries explaining that “to-do list” is grammatically correct. This is made clear from the vast difference in popularity that you can see on the graph.
Neither “to do list” nor “todo list” is correct, so you should avoid them.Īccording to Google Ngram Viewer, “to-do list” is the only grammatically correct variation. You should only write it when “to-do” is hyphenated because this allows us to use it as a compound adjective ( which in turn modifies “list”). “To-do list” is the only correct variation. This article will explore whether “to-do” is one or two words or whether it’s hyphenated. There might be more than one spelling variation, after all. Before writing about a “to-do list” you might be carrying out, it would help to know how to spell it.
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