0

I have seen both spellings of re-engineering used (with and without hyphen). Personally I prefer the hyphenated version as it aids with proper pronunciation of the word.

Dictionary.com seems to prefer reengineering

But then on the other side spell checking software seems to only find the hyphenated version correct. spellcheck

Which version is correct or are both correct? Is one preferred over the other and why?

Flexo013
  • 111

1 Answers1

2

This comes down to a matter of opinion, but as a long-time editor I prefer the hyphenated version because it is easier for me to read. Collins, Cambridge and Macmillan agree with us, while Merriam-Webster, Wikipedia and the Business Dictionary (among others) show it as unhyphenated. Consider your audience and choose what works best for you. Younger readers may be more likely to be comfortable with reengineering, while older folks (like me) may find it a bit odd if it lacks the hyphen.

Mark Hubbard
  • 6,777
  • I myself am a younger reader. My preference, however, might be caused by English being my second language. In my native language, Dutch, one has to either hyphenate or add an umlaut (diaeresis) when pronunciation of a word can be ambiguous. – Flexo013 Jul 12 '18 at 14:25
  • 1
    Thank you for your informative comment. These things tend to change over time. For instance, "cooperation," which reads easily and naturally to most of us, used to be written as "co-operation." One source claims, “'Co-operation' is more prevalent outside of the United States of America, whereas 'cooperation' is almost universally used within the United States." Yet both the Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries list it as "cooperation," although "co-operation" is shown as an alternative. Your English is excellent, by the way. No one will misunderstand or stumble over your use of re-engineering. – Mark Hubbard Jul 12 '18 at 14:50
  • Thanks for the compliment and all the additional information! It's always great to learn more. – Flexo013 Jul 12 '18 at 14:59
  • It used to be spelled 'coöperation' – Arm the good guys in America Jul 13 '18 at 04:28