# Is it "lawsuit" or "law suit?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-lawsuit-or-law-suit/303585>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 12, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-lawsuit-or-law-suit/303585 "2005-05-12T18:34:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![daere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@daere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daere)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-lawsuit-or-law-suit/303585/1 "2005-05-12T18:34:45Z")

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I’m editing an article for our workplace newsletter, and the original author uses both “lawsuit” and “law suit.” Are these interchangeable? Is one more correct than the other? Or are there rules as to when to use “lawsuit” and when to use “law suit?”  
_(I figured if anyone would know, it would be the dopers…)_

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-lawsuit-or-law-suit/303585/2 "2005-05-12T19:26:22Z")

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“Lawsuit”—one word—is the standard usage.

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**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-lawsuit-or-law-suit/303585/3 "2005-05-12T21:15:24Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> “Lawsuit”—one word—is the standard usage.

The _Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage_ agrees:

> [@](#):
>
> **lawsuit** is best written as one word in AmE and BrE.

Bryan A. Garner, _A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage_ 507 (2d ed. 1995).

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**Author:** ![daere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@daere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daere)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-lawsuit-or-law-suit/303585/4 "2005-05-13T04:49:21Z")

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Thanks guys!