“Altogether” or “All Together”? What’s The Difference?
Because altogether and all together look so similar and are pronounced the same way, many people believe these words can be interchanged. But in fact, these words are like everyday and every day—each has a distinct meaning and serves different functions in a sentence.
Below, we’ll go over what these two words mean and teach you an easy trick that’ll help you always use altogether and all together correctly.
What Does “Altogether” Mean?
Altogether is an adverb, meaning it’s a word that describes verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. It means “completely,” “in all,” or “on the whole.”
that the external world exists altogether independently of us.
What Does “All Together” Mean?
All together is a two-word phrase that means “everyone or everything as a group, at the same place or time.”
It’s common for a verb or noun to be placed between the words all together. For example:
How To Remember the Difference Between “Altogether” and “All Together”
We understand. It’s hard to believe that altogether and all together are not synonymous. It may seem like it’s impossible to use these two words correctly, but here’s what you need to remember:
- Altogether is one word and always functions as an adverb.
- All together is a two-word phrase. If you can rearrange the sentence to add a noun or verb in the middle, then all together is the word you’re looking for.
Unfortunately, altogether and all together are just one of many word pairs that get commonly confused among native speakers and English language learners alike. Thankfully, LanguageTool can detect spelling and grammar errors, as well as suggest stylistic improvements.
