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ASHU SAINI asked >Which is correct: Check Box or Checkbox<
Check box.
"Checkbox" isn't in MW10: so technically, "check box" is correct, and I
would *usually* prefer it myself. (I write radio button, too, not
"radiobutton".)
However, "checkbox" is itself reasonably clear. It may not yet be a
dictionary word, but it falls within the parameters of acceptable jargon
(that is, it doesn't require inside specialist knowledge to understand what
the word means). Nevertheless, I would prefer "check box" to "checkbox",
unless the documentation I was using was already locked into "checkbox": in
which case, I would go with the current use for the sake of consistency.
Checkbox is clearly a noun and useful when plurals are required ("There are
three checkboxes on this form") whereas "check box" could be a verb-noun
sentence OR a noun modified by an adjective: "Please check box" or "Please
tick in the check box". Using a jargony word for consistency and clearness
may sometimes be better than using the dictionary word.
Jane Carnall
Technical Writer, Digital Bridges, Scotland
Unless stated otherwise, these opinions are mine, and mine alone.
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