Email or e-mail: which is correct?
Both spellings are correct, but email, without the hyphen, is now the standard in American English. The major US style guides switched years ago.
Write email. Merriam-Webster lists "email" first and "e-mail" as a variant. The AP Stylebook changed from "e-mail" to "email" in March 2011, the Chicago Manual of Style followed in its 17th edition (2017), and Microsoft's style guide says never to hyphenate it. The plural is emails, the verb is email, emailed, emailing, and you only capitalize it at the start of a sentence or in a title.
What the dictionary says
Merriam-Webster's entry is headed email, with e-mail listed as an accepted variant. That means both are correct, but "email" is the more common form. The dictionary gives 1979 as the first known use of the noun and 1983 for the verb.
The hyphen came from the word's origin: e-mail was short for "electronic mail," the same way people once wrote "to-day" and "web-site." As words become everyday, English tends to drop the hyphen.
What the style guides say
| Style guide | Recommends | Since |
|---|---|---|
| AP Stylebook (news, PR, most US companies) | March 2011, announced at the ACES editors' conference | |
| Chicago Manual of Style (books, publishing) | 17th edition, 2017 | |
| Microsoft Writing Style Guide (tech writing) | email: "Never hyphenate email or capitalize the m" | Current guidance |
| Merriam-Webster dictionary | email (e-mail is a variant) | Current entry |
When AP made the change, it was big news among editors. Poynter reported that the switch took effect on March 19, 2011, along with "cellphone" and "smartphone" becoming single words. AP kept the hyphen in other e- words like e-book and e-commerce at the time.
Chicago's editors made the same point when they dropped the hyphen: changing email doesn't automatically change every other e- word.
Which should you use?
- Use "email" in almost everything: work, school, websites, résumés, marketing.
- Use "e-mail" only if your school, publisher or company style guide asks for it, or you're quoting an older text.
- Be consistent. Pick one spelling and use it throughout the same document.
A few publishers and organizations still prefer "e-mail," so check the house style if you're writing for one of them.
The plural: emails
"Email" works two ways, just like "mail":
- A single message, countable: "I sent three emails this morning."
- The system or all your mail, uncountable: "I'll check my email." "Contact us by email."
Both are standard. Merriam-Webster lists the plural as "emails" (or "e-mails"). Microsoft's style guide uses examples like "You have two new emails." If you're writing formally and want to avoid the debate, "email messages" always works.
Don't write "email's" for the plural. The apostrophe is only for possession: "the email's subject line."
Email as a verb
Yes, "email" is a verb. Merriam-Webster gives three senses: to send email to someone, to send something by email, and to communicate by email.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| I'll email you the file. | |
| emails | She emails the team every Friday. |
| emailed | I emailed the client yesterday. |
| emailing | I'm emailing it now. |
"Emailed" has one L in American English. "Email to" is fine ("email the form to HR"), and so is "email someone" without "to" ("email Sam").
When to capitalize Email
- At the start of a sentence: "Email works best for this."
- In a title or heading in title case: "How to Write an Email."
- As a label or button: "Email:" on a form, or an "Email us" button.
- Never capitalize the M: "eMail" and "E-Mail" are out of date. Microsoft's guide says "Never hyphenate email or capitalize the m."
Mid-sentence, it's lowercase: "Send me an email."
A few more email word questions
"An email" or "a email"? "An email." Use "an" before a vowel sound, and "email" starts with an "ee" sound. The same goes for "an email address."
"Email" or "mail"? Both are fine once it's clear you mean electronic mail. Microsoft's style guide says that after you've established the context, "it's OK to use mail instead of email." That's why apps have a "Mail" icon and a "New mail" button.
"Email" or "email message"? "Email" on its own can mean one message or the whole system. If that could confuse your reader, write "email message" or just "message."
"Send me an email" or "email me"? Both are standard. "Email me" is shorter and fits buttons and signatures well.
"Email ID"? You'll see "email ID" in some countries, especially on forms. In US English, "email address" is the usual term.
Related words
| Write | Not |
|---|---|
| email address | e-mail address, emailaddress |
| inbox | in-box, in box |
| spam | SPAM (the word for junk email isn't an acronym; see spam vs junk) |
| Cc, Bcc (or CC, BCC) | c.c., b.c.c. (see what CC means) |
| sign-off (noun), sign off (verb) | signoff |
"Cellphone" and "smartphone" followed the same path in the same 2011 AP update: the space dropped once the words became ordinary.
Questions people ask
- Is it email or e-mail?
- Both are correct, but email is standard in American English. AP, Chicago and Microsoft style all use email, and Merriam-Webster lists e-mail as a variant.
- When did AP change e-mail to email?
- In March 2011. The AP Stylebook announced the change at the ACES editors' conference, effective March 19, 2011.
- What is the plural of email?
- Emails, as in "I sent three emails." When you mean the system or your mail in general, email stays singular: "check your email."
- Is email a verb?
- Yes. Email, emails, emailed, emailing: "I emailed the client yesterday."
- Should email be capitalized?
- Only at the start of a sentence, in a title-case heading, or as a label. Never capitalize the m.