A few years ago, I sent a pitch email to a client saying that I know our partnership will “bring a life time of trust.” I hit send and was filled with confidence, only to re-read ten minutes later on the elevator, in a pitch that was about professionalism, two word spacing! I actually sent a text to a friend at 11:00pm saying, “Do you think it’s too late to send a follow up that corrects my mistake,” and I received a text saying “the client won’t have noticed, also I still sent the follow up. This small, embarrassing mistake is the reason I am checking myself spelling lifetime now, even on warranty papers. Lifetime is a single word.
The correct, standard spell in current American usage:
“lifetime” can function as either the word in the English language (that “trip of a lifetimewould never have happened without” me); the adjective(“The liferelationship is that lasting.” would be incorrect). Life time written separately is not an identified word in English. In practically every sentence I will ever read, it will simply a misspelling of thisword; I have provided details below. However, if I’m proofreading you as you read this; you will choose lifetime.
When the “Life time” (Life time) actually makes sense.
Rarely ever; but I’m going to tell you one occasion in which they can actually, be two separate words since it will answer this question, and solve many of my other questions, for any grammar checker. It will never be when it is a single unit referring to a body of work (such as my life time of work; where this phrase is used incorrectly), it is when you say “my life; time is all I have,” in which case “life” ends a sentence, “time” starts the next, they do not have anything to do with each other, and thus it never makes sense for one another unless separated. In almost every other case,life timeis simply not grammatically correct in English as it always refers to time in one’s, life (an adjective or noun, that is always one word).
We will revisit this again if needed to better illustrate why we’ve made this change. Now, although “life time” existed in earlier, historical usage of English (in which times used to share their place in Middle English in a single name, or later connected by a hyphen), modern, and acceptable, current English uses “lifetime” as a single, un-hyphenated word.
Use lifetime correctly:
When referring to what somebody/something has, it functions in two major ways-as a noun; and an adjective. Understanding both the differences as well as the similarities may help you as you check anything in writing, you may read, or type in your computer!
As a noun: ( Lifetime is what an average object/life form would endure from start to end). ” She has owned her bicycle for her entire lifetime,” (Not:lifetimein her life time). ” I have not seen this book yet in my time working in the library, maybe this is the firsttime I will ever have of reading it.”
As an adjective:
(Describes something permanent as pertaining to what an average human life would do.) ” I have not been offered this much in my lifetime! He’s not received this many awards throughout the course of his entire life time. No other object I have ever bought came with a liferelationship that lasted so very long, however this has! He bought this blender from Sam’s Club and it has a liferelationship of roughly 15 yrs).”. It has always been in my life time that we could not use the “life time” that so many write it as.
Common mistakes on lifetime
- Writing “lifetime” as two separate words; it always looks worse. When this expression is acting as an adjective or an object, it needs to remain one word in writing.
2. Assume lifetime is only ever an adjective. When lifetime works as an object, the writer is missing an opportunity they can often exploit, such as in marketing, or for any kind of documentation; they should check this too in writing.
3. Think of this object when one has one life, the writer will try to use ‘lifetimes’. I understand but ‘lifetimes’ is an accurate representation, you are comparing two life spans.
Ancient trees have stood for many a lifetime.
I’m sure my life span will out live yours and many others.
4. The “once in a lifetime opportunity” is used incorrectly; it is only hyphenated when one states, “Here is the once in a life time opportunity”; not in any other aspect.
Lifetime Vs. LifelongVs. Life Span
All these terms represent an object in terms of a life, and span; however, they represent different aspects of the same idea. “Lifetime” is the physical span, while “lifelong” is a descriptor, and life span is the estimation for such an object. Lifespan is always associated with biological animals; while lifetime is more associated with objects themselves. Lifespan is an average prediction for animal longevity, whereas lifetime denotes the period a person/animal/object has actually lived confusion caused by pronunciation vs spelling,
How to use correctly
lifetime; an object used as both an adjective, or noun (often a noun, rather than an adjective).
Lifelong; an adjective. Used to describe what last through a life.
Lifespan; used to say how long life typically would be for a certain object.
About the Author:
Faizan Babar writes about English grammar and vocabulary at ZyluxMag, breaking down everyday spelling and word-choice mix-ups into simple, practical explanations for writers, students, and anyone who wants their English to sound sharp and correct.
