1. Duchess-Yukine-Suoh

    Duchess-Yukine-Suoh Girl #21 Contributor

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    Is "to-day" correct?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Duchess-Yukine-Suoh, Oct 26, 2013.

    I've seen many classic books (such as Dickens) have to-day instead of today. Is that still in correct use now?
     
  2. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    It's archaic. Stick to "today."
     
  3. Duchess-Yukine-Suoh

    Duchess-Yukine-Suoh Girl #21 Contributor

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    M'kay, thanks! :)
     
  4. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    for future reference, you can get a quicker answer to either-or questions by simply googling the two words in " " with 'vs' or 'or' between them... like this: "to-day vs today"
     
  5. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    In fairness to the original questioner, "to-day" used to be the norm, and it's not always easy to tell whether a shift in usage is considered a change in the language or increasing frequency of a blunder.

    For what it's worth, it's a standard pattern of development in English for two separate words to become hyphenated and then to become a single word. "Today" is far enough through that progression for anything else to be archaic, but it's not at all unusual to find combinations that are still part-way (or is that partway? Part way?) through the transition, in which case you can expect arguments in which neither side is right and neither side is wrong.
     

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