Maybe you had a teacher who once told you, “Alright is not all right.” The rule still stands, though in the ever-evolving world of words, “alright” seems to be gaining traction – in British English especially according to the experts.
But in 9 out of 10 dictionaries, “alright” is considered a misspelling of “all right.” This common error is seemingly rooted in language patterns used in words such as “already” and “altogether.” However, the two word form is the standard that you should use when you want to appear like you know what you’re doing. And we all like to appear like we know what we’re doing on occasion, right?
That crazy 10th dictionary? They speak of two different definitions, where “alright” means simply “satisfactory,” whereas “all right” means “correct” in its adjective form. According to this logic, these two statements have two different meanings:
Example 1: “My exam was all right.” (i.e. It was all correct. No mistakes! )
Example 2: “My exam was alright. (i.e. It was okay. I probably passed.)
What do you think? Are you okay with the evolution of language and its accepted use in formal writing? Or would you rather have a standard form to go by?