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When I see “e-mail” in student work, I know it’s usually someone who learned English before 2010. The hyphen has quietly faded out of most modern writing, and “email” is now the standard. But the question still pops up, especially in formal writing contexts where people wonder if they should stay traditional.
Here’s the straightforward answer: email is correct. It’s what major style guides recommend, what newspapers use, and what most writers choose today. The hyphenated version isn’t wrong—it’s just old-fashioned. I’ll explain why the hyphen died out, show you which style guides prefer what, and give you examples of email used as both noun and verb.
Key Takeaways
- Email is correct — modern style guides (AP, Chicago, NYT, Guardian) all recommend it without the hyphen.
- E-mail is outdated — the hyphen was common before 2000, but has faded as email became a standard noun.
- Hyphenated words are rare now — e-commerce and e-book still use them, but email has moved past the phase.
- In formal or traditional writing — check your organization’s style guide; most now say email.
- Email as verb: “I’ll email you” is correct; both “noun” and “verb” versions use the same spelling.
The History: Why the Hyphen Existed
When email first arrived in the 1990s, it was written as “e-mail” — short for “electronic mail.” The hyphen followed a standard rule in English: when you abbreviate something and add it as a prefix (like “e-” for electronic), you typically hyphenate it. Think of “e-book,” “e-commerce,” “e-learning.” That’s how “e-mail” came to be standard.
Example from the 1990s: “Send me an e-mail when you get a chance.”
The Associated Press Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, and other authorities all recommended the hyphenated form for many years. If you looked at a newspaper or formal document from the 1990s and early 2000s, “e-mail” was everywhere.
But something changed. As email became central to daily life—not a novel technology but a basic tool—writers and editors stopped thinking of it as an abbreviation. It became a word in its own right, like “email” is its own thing, not “e-mail” meaning “electronic mail.” When a word becomes fully adopted into the language, the hyphen naturally falls away.
The Pattern: “E-mail” followed a rule. But as the word moved from technical jargon into everyday vocabulary, the rule stopped applying. Email is now a standard English word, and the hyphen serves no purpose. The same thing happened to “online” (once “on-line”) and “database” (once “data-base”).
Modern Style Guide Preferences
Let’s look at what the authorities say today. If you’re writing for publication or a formal organization, it’s worth checking their specific style guide. But the trend is overwhelming:
| Style Guide | Preference | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AP Stylebook (2024) | Email (no hyphen) | Updated from e-mail; now standard |
| Chicago Manual of Style | Email (no hyphen) | Treats it as a standard noun |
| The New York Times | Email (no hyphen) | Internal style & published articles |
| The Guardian | Email (no hyphen) | UK publication, still uses email |
| Merriam-Webster Dictionary | Email (no hyphen) | Listed as the primary entry |
| Oxford English Dictionary | Email (no hyphen) | Now treats as a standard word |
The shift happened gradually. By 2015, nearly every major publication had dropped the hyphen. Today, if you use “e-mail” in formal writing, readers will assume you haven’t updated your knowledge since the 2000s.
Email as Noun and Verb: Usage Examples
Email as a Noun
When email is a noun, it refers to a message or the system itself. Both uses take the same spelling.
Example 1: I received an email from my supervisor this morning.
Example 2: Can you check your email before the meeting starts?
Example 3: My inbox has over 500 unread emails from last month.
Email as a Verb
When email is a verb, it means to send a message electronically. Again, same spelling—no hyphen, no special form. This is where some older writers hesitate, but modern style guides all confirm: email (no hyphen) is correct for the verb too.
Example 1: I’ll email you the report by Friday.
Example 2: She emailed me the details yesterday, but I haven’t opened it yet.
Example 3: Can you email the team about the schedule change?
Both Forms Together
In the same sentence, email appears as both noun and verb with the same spelling:
Example 1: “I emailed my professor, but she hasn’t replied to my email yet.”
Example 2: “Email me when you send the email to the client, so I know it went through.”
Example 3: “I have to email the vendor before I leave; can you forward me their email address?”
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
✗ Incorrect: I’ll send you an e-mail as soon as the report is ready.
✓ Correct: I’ll send you an email as soon as the report is ready.
Why: Modern style guides recommend dropping the hyphen. “Email” is standard in contemporary writing.
✗ Incorrect: She e-mailed me her contact information, but I lost the e-mail.
✓ Correct: She emailed me her contact information, but I lost the email.
Why: When you conjugate “email” as a verb, it becomes “emailed,” “emails,” “emailing”—no hyphen at any stage.
✗ Incorrect: The company’s official e-mail policy is that all employees must respond within 24 hours.
✓ Correct: The company’s official email policy is that all employees must respond within 24 hours.
Why: Even in formal documents, email is the standard noun form. The hyphen serves no grammatical or stylistic purpose anymore.
When You Might Still See “E-mail”
It’s not completely gone. You’ll occasionally spot it in:
- Older books or documents (anything written before 2010)
- Some conservative corporate style guides that haven’t updated
- Technical documentation that was written decades ago and not revised
- Non-English languages, where hyphenation rules differ
But for any new writing—whether it’s a professional email, a student essay, a blog post, or a formal letter—email (no hyphen) is the right choice.
Sample Dialogue
Alex (intern): I see “e-mail” in our company handbook. Should I use the hyphen or not?
Jordan (manager): Good catch. The handbook is from 2005. Use “email” — that’s what AP, Chicago, and the Times all recommend now.
Alex: So “e-mail” is wrong?
Jordan: Not wrong, just outdated. The word stopped being an abbreviation and became a regular word. When that happens, the hyphen goes away.
Alex: Like how “online” used to be “on-line”?
Jordan: Exactly. Same process.
Quick Quiz
- Which spelling is correct in modern writing? (email / e-mail)
- What does the verb form look like? (emailed / e-mailed)
- Is “email” a noun, a verb, or both?
- Which major style guide still recommends the hyphen? (AP Stylebook / Chicago Manual / New York Times / none of the above)
- Fill in the blank correctly: “I ________ her my phone number in an ________ yesterday.”
Answers: 1. email · 2. emailed · 3. both · 4. none of the above (all modern guides use email) · 5. emailed / email.
Related Articles
- ↑ Master Pillar: English Grammar
- Accept vs. Except — homophones that confuse learners
- ↑ Back to pillar: English Confused Words (Pillar)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is correct: email or e-mail?
Email is correct. All major style guides (AP, Chicago, New York Times, Oxford) recommend the unhyphenated form. “E-mail” is outdated but not technically wrong—it’s just what people used before 2010 when the word was still considered an abbreviation.
Has the AP Stylebook always preferred email without a hyphen?
No. The AP Stylebook recommended “e-mail” for decades, but updated to “email” around 2015 to reflect how the word is used in modern writing. When a word becomes standard vocabulary rather than an abbreviation, the hyphen is dropped.
What about when I use email as a verb? Do I hyphenate it?
No. Email as a verb is conjugated as “email,” “emails,” “emailing,” and “emailed”—never with a hyphen. Use the same unhyphenated form whether it’s a noun or verb.
Why did the hyphen disappear?
The hyphen was there because “e-mail” was an abbreviation for “electronic mail,” and hyphens traditionally link abbreviations to longer words. But as email became a basic tool, not a new technology, writers stopped thinking of it as an abbreviation. It’s now a standard word, so the hyphen serves no purpose.
Should I use “email” or “e-mail” in formal business writing?
Use “email.” Even in formal business writing, law, and academia, all modern style guides recommend the unhyphenated form. If your organization has an older style guide, you could check it, but nearly all updated ones now say “email” without the hyphen.
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