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Dawn
What are the differences among “goodbye”, “good-bye ” and“good bye” ?
In what context to use them?
Sep 29, 2016 1:57 PM
Answers · 6
2
"Goodbye" is the accepted spelling according to most dictionaries. The hyphed version is older, but still in wide usage. It should not be two separate words.
September 29, 2016
1
They're the same.
September 29, 2016
Write "goodbye."
"Goodbye" and "good-bye" are the same. "Good bye" is incorrect. "Good-bye" appears in old books but it's out of date.
Sometimes spellings change slowly over time. There has been a trend to uses fewer and fewer hyphens and to spell more and more compound words as single words, without hyphens.
The general rule is simple: check a dictionary.
An interesting example is the word "cooperate." That's the current, correct spelling. A problem is that it looks as if you'd pronounce "coop-" as one syllable, like the word "coop." In very old books they put a dieresis over the second "o," "coöperate," to show that you pronounce it as two syllables, one of the very rare uses of a diacritical mark in English. Then they began spelling it "co-operate." Finally they dropped the hyphen, and began spelling it as "cooperate," and you just have to know how it is pronounced.
September 29, 2016
Both Peachey and Bud are right. "Goodbye" is the most common, I think.
September 29, 2016
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Dawn
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English, French
Learning Language
English, French
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