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The poster mentions Merriam-Webster’s in a comment responding to Hugo’s excellent answer:
It’s also interesting that none of the answers referred to Merriam-Webster’s, which uses home page. I thought it’s considered an authoritative source of English language, besides the OED.
I should note first that MW lists words as it finds them: When compiling and updating a dictionary for publication, it identifies what it perceives to be the preponderant spelling of a particular word among the published sources it has collected that use the term; subsequently it alters that spelling to match reality if conditions change in the wild world of actual usage. So while it may be authoritative in some sense, MW isn’t committed to a particular spelling when popular usage goes a different way.
To my knowledge, home page debuts in the 1999 printing of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition; it doesn’t appear in the 1997 printing of the same edition. In 1999, most publications (including the computer magazines where I work) used the two-word spelling. More recently, however, homepage has become increasingly common. Our magazines made the switch from home page to homepage within the past two years—and we are by no means early adopters of streamlined spellings of technology terms.
Elsewhere, the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000) gives the spelling as «homepage or home page,» with the closed-up spelling in the position of precedence.
I’ll be surprised if the next edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (the Twelfth) doesn’t include both home page and homepage as common alternative spellings. And in the long run, as people grow accustomed to seeing (and instantly recognizing the meaning of) the character string homepage, I expect the closed-up spelling to push the two-word spelling toward obsolescence.
Update (January 11, 2021)
More than seven and a half years later, there is still no Merriam-Webster’s Twelfth Collegiate—and the online version of Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has not altered its treatment of the spelling of home page to reflect the fact that the spelling homepage is quite common.
Nevertheless, real-world usage has shown a considerable drop in the advantage home page enjoys over homepage in relative frequency of appearance in books and peridicals. Here is the Ngram chart for «home page» (blue line) versus «homepage» red line) for the period 1980–2019:
As the chart indicates, the frequency of «home page» in 2013 was slightly more than twice that of «homepage» (0.0001189248% to 0.0000511119%), but in 2019 that advantage had fallen to less than than half again as much (0.0000610258% to 0.0000383980%)—and this change in frequency has occurred despite Merriam-Webster’s continuing refusal to acknowledge that homepage has become a very common variant spelling of the term.
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#1
Dear forum readers,
After various attempts at making up my mind on this topic, I kindly request your help please. I would like to know what the correct spelling of the following words is :
Homepage, Userguide, Helpsheet
Are they one or two words ? Is there a special rule associated to them ?
Thank you in advance for your answers !
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#2
There is no special rule, in general, for such compounds in English. You just have to look at what is actually used. For those three words, I would write them as two spaced words. Homepage also occurs, less than half as common as home page in books.
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#3
In AE they would also be two words. English doesn’t combine words nearly as much as, for example, German.
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#4
Noted, thank you for your answers !
“Home pages” are common online. We need to use them when we’re accessing a new site (and there’s no way to avoid them). Therefore, it would be helpful to know more about how to spell it and which way works best in your writing.
“Home page” is the correct spelling variation. Most English users will recognize it as two separate words because “home” and “page” are defined separately. There is no need to group the two words together, though some people do like to do this (especially informally).
According to Google Ngram Viewer, “home page” is the most popular choice. However, there isn’t much of a difference between the lines of either variation. It shows that both are considered acceptable (even though one might not be the official spelling choice).
In The Cambridge Dictionary and The Oxford Dictionary, “home page” is the only recognized spelling variation. Both dictionaries define the two-word option as the correct form, which shows that you should try and keep the words separate if you want to be correct.
Since “homepage” is very commonly written as one word (some websites also call their own home page “homepage”), there is no reason why it’s not acceptable. That’s why the line on the graph is much higher than you might expect at first.
As language evolves, it’s common for two words to group into one if it helps simplify the language somehow. Since “home page” is a word strictly related to the internet and technology, it’s still relatively new.
While it might be written as two words currently, that doesn’t mean it always will be. There may even come a time in the not-so-distant future when the two dictionaries we mentioned above recognize both spelling variations.
Is “Homepage” One Word?
Grammatically speaking, “homepage” is not one word. There is no reason to group the two words because they are not officially defined in any notable dictionaries. However, since it’s very commonly written in this manner, it is correct to do so in more informal cases.
If you’re writing about home pages formally, it’s best to stick to the recognized spelling. That way, nobody can question your knowledge of the subject matter. “Home” and “page” should be defined separately.
However, informally (i.e. if you’re naming the pages on your own website), there is no reason why “homepage” isn’t acceptable. Many websites already call their front pages “homepages” as one word.
Perhaps these examples will help you make more sense of it:
- You should visit the homepage of the website to see what they’re all about.
- I need someone to design a new homepage. Our current one isn’t exactly up-to-date.
- I would love to see a new homepage on this site! It’s looked the same for decades.
- You would benefit from hiring a designer to help you with this homepage.
Is “Home page” Two Words?
“Home page” is officially recognized as two words. You want to write it like this if you want to remain grammatically correct since it’s the only version that is recognized inside well-regarded dictionaries. There is no reason to group the two words.
In the context of websites, “home” means “front,” and “page” is a different tab you can navigate to when exploring a website’s menu. Therefore, it makes sense to keep both words separate when you’re talking about “home pages” on a website.
Some of these examples might help you make a little more sense of it:
- How do you like the new home page? I went with a different artist, but I think it paid off!
- You should visit the new site! The home page is much more welcoming than it was before.
- I thought his home page looked a bit funky! Now that I know he made it himself, it makes sense.
- You shouldn’t waste money on a home page. Make sure you know what you’re getting from it because it’s the most important part of your site!
Tip To Remember The Difference
“Home page” does not need to be grouped into one word. To help you remember the difference, remember that there are multiple “pages” on a website. Therefore, it makes sense to always refer to the first page as “home” (as a separate word).
After all, no other page is linked together:
- Correct: About us page
- Incorrect: Aboutuspage
- Correct: Contact page
- Incorrect: Contactpage
See? You wouldn’t do it with the above examples, so why do it with “home page?”
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
Define a Homepage is the initial page that a visitor sees on a website, and it usually provides links to the rest of the site’s pages.
A home page is part of the natural way that the Internet has emerged to oriented Web users and help them navigate all of the many sites on the global network.
In other words, Homepage is the page typically encountered first on a website that usually contains links to the other pages of the site or a default page displayed when an internet browser first opens.
Where is the Homepage?
The home page is located at the root of the website’s domain or subdomain. It is a site directory, particularly when a website has multiple home pages.
In the top right corner of your computer’s browser, click More. Settings. Under “Appearance,” turn on Show home button. It is the first page that visitors see when they load a URL.
Should I use “homepage” or “home page” in my writing?
Generally speaking, both versions are correct. However, most people and style guides today use “homepage” (one word) when talking about the main page of a website.
Is home page One word or two?
Homepage is the used way to write it now, so no matter that in the past the correct was now its just one word. Both are correct and it depends on how you use it.
What is the alternative name of homepage?
Discover 5 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for home page, like: web page, web site, website, webpage and homepage.
What is the homepage of a computer?
Some users may refer to the opening screen they see after booting a computer as the homepage.
Difference between Website Homepage and Browser Homepage:
A Browser homepage is a default document displayed when you first open your browser.
A Website Homepage is the page typically encountered first on a website that usually contains links to the other pages of the site.
Why does a homepage need?
Website Homepage:
The homepage is the front door to all the cool details that make up the rest of your website. There are many important components of effective web design, like white space, font selection, color schemes, and layout, but the core of a website is its content, not its design.
Browser Homepage:
All web browsers allow you to change the home page to what you want it to look like. This forces the browser to open a specific site each time it opens the browser. Many people still use their browser’s homepage every day, more people are using a search (e.g., Google) as their homepage and searching for what interests them and using bookmarks.
What are the basic elements for creating a homepage?
- Keep your layout clean and easy to navigate.
- Add high resolution images.
- Ensure Color scheme and Background work well together.
- Optimize your buttons.
- Update content frequently.