Alright vs All Right: What's the Difference?

Is Alright a Word and How Do You Spell It Correctly?
It’s a correct variant spelling, so if you’ve used it in a professional email or a published article, don’t worry!
However, it might be less well-received by your readers than the more common spelling, all right.
An English teacher might tell you that alright is better suited for informal communication, such as when you’re texting your friends or writing a casual blog post.
On the other hand, if you’re composing a professional email or writing an academic essay, you should use the two-word compound, all right.
If you’re not sure if you’re spelling a word correctly, you can always run your writing through ProWritingAid which will highlight misspellings and guide you toward the correct choice.
What’s the Difference Between Alright and All Right?
Both alright and all right mean the same thing: they’re synonyms for acceptable, satisfactory, and good enough.
Let’s look at some examples of all right and alright in English literature.
Examples of Alright in Sentences
“Everything is ecstasy, inside. We just don’t know it because of our thinking-minds. But in our true blissful essence of mind is known that everything is alright forever and forever and forever.”—Jack Kerouac, The Portable Jack Kerouac
“As long as I can make them laugh, it doesn’t matter how, I’ll be alright.”—Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human
“You feel a little bit lost right now about what to do with your life, a bit rudderless and oarless and aimless but that’s okay… That’s alright because we’re all meant to be like that at twenty-four.”—David Nicholls, One Day
“When the rain falls you just let it fall and you grin like a madman and you dance with it because if you can make yourself happy in the rain, then you’re doing pretty alright in life.”—David Levithan, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
“One day, you and I are gonna wake up and be alright. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but one day. One day. I promise you.”—Fisher Amelie, Callum & Harper
Examples of All Right in Sentences
“It’s all right to love someone who doesn’t love you back, as long as they’re worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.”—Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel
“It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything all right. It didn’t make anythingall right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird’s flight. But I’ll take it.”—Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
“It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”—C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
“There should be a statute of limitation on grief. A rulebook that says it is all right to wake up crying, but only for a month. That after 42 days you will no longer turn with your heart racing, certain you have heard her call out your name.”—Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper
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Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.