Here’s an interesting case of computer programming influencing spelling. (You certainly don’t see that every day!) In honor of the official merging of K. S. Writing and Petrofy as Midlothian Web Solutions, I thought I’d go techie today. Have you ever noticed the difference between “login,” “log in,” and “log-in”?
While some argue that “login” is never correct—that it should either be “log-in” or “log in”—the use of “login” is growing. Why? There are a few possible arguments. Some argue “login” is becoming common because spaces are not used within coding languages, and hyphens can be read as a break between two separate words. Others argue that “login” just looks cleaner from a web design standpoint. Either way, when these rules trickle into the non-digital world, grammar chaos ensues!
Getting back to the correct, original usage of these words:
To log in or log on to a site (log in/log on as a verb), you would always use two words.
If you ask a user for their log-in information (used as an adjective) or simply for their log-in (noun), the hyphenated form is correct. This hyphenated form is often where the one word “login” is used interchangeably, but you know there’s a heated grammarian hullabaloo about this. (Oh, the many ways you can annoy a grammar nazi…)
Are there any other techie words or phrases you have questions about?