All Right vs. Alright | Difference & Example Sentences

All right and alright are two spellings of the same term, an adjective, adverb, or interjection meaning the same thing as “okay.”

  • All right (with a space) is the form usually used in published writing.
  • Alright is a very common spelling in everyday communication, but it’s not always considered correct by dictionaries (though it is included in Merriam-Webster and the OED). It’s uncommon in published writing.
Examples: All right or alright in a sentence
Thankfully, Rhonda is doing all right after her cataracts surgery.

It’s the flu all right!

College is going alright so far.

Note
Regardless of how you spell it, all right/alright is considered too informal to use in academic writing. Use a more formal term like “adequate” in this context.

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Uses of all right and alright

Both spellings of all right/alright are very common in day-to-day communication. They can both function as several different parts of speech with slight variations in meaning.

Part of speech Function Example
Adjective Used to indicate agreement, physical safety or health, and general (mild) approval. I’d like to go to the mall after school if that’s all right/alright with you.

Are you all right/alright?

His artwork is all right/alright, but it’s not my favorite.

Adverb Used to mean “certainly” or “adequately” That’s a tick bite all right/alright! You’d better get it checked out at the doctor.

I wasn’t very confident going into the exam, but I think it went all right/alright.

Interjection Used to indicate agreement or resignation, or to resume a discussion where it left off Well, all right/alright, if you insist.

All right/alright, where were we?

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Frequently asked questions

Is “alright” a word?

Yes, alright is a very commonly used word, but it’s considered a mistake by some dictionaries and style guides. The more widely approved form is all right, with a space.

What’s a synonym of “alright”/“all right”?

Some synonyms and near synonyms for the various senses of alright/all right are:

  • Acceptable
  • Adequate
  • Agreed
  • Certainly
  • Decent
  • Fine
  • Good
  • Okay (or OK)
  • Satisfactory

Scribbr’s Paraphraser can help you find other synonyms for “alright”/”all right.”

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George, T. (2023, January 23). All Right vs. Alright | Difference & Example Sentences. Scribbr. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/commonly-confused-words/all-right-vs-alright/

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Tegan George

Tegan is an American based in Amsterdam, with master's degrees in political science and education administration. While she is definitely a political scientist at heart, her experience working at universities led to a passion for making social science topics more approachable and exciting to students.