Word list: S


scalable

Scalable in preference to scaleable.

Scandinavia

Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Does not include Iceland or Finland. See also Nordic countries.

screensaver

One word.

seasons

Lower case: spring, summer, autumn, winter.

server side, server-side

Two words as a noun, hyphenated as an adjective: server-side validation; validation on the server side.

set up, setup

Two words as a verb; one word as a noun or adjective.

share together

Almost always redundant. You can’t share anything on your own.

shoo-in

Not “shoe-in”, which is a nonsensical misspelling.

short-term

Hyphenated as an adjective; two separate words as a noun. Your short‑term plans relate to your actions in the short term.

sign-off

Hyphenated as a noun; two separate words as a verb.

sign-up

Hyphenated as a noun; two separate words as a verb.

site map, sitemap

Two words except in the specific context of an XML sitemap (as used by Google and other public search engines) – then it’s one word.

SlideShare

sliver, slither

A very thin slice of something (cake or bacon, for example) is a sliver. Not a slither. Slither is what a snake does.

smartphone

One word.

solar system

Not capitalised, regardless of whether it’s our solar system or another solar system.

south

See compass points.

southeast

See compass points.

southern Africa

The S of southern is not capitalised because it’s not a political or administrative region. (But South Africa does, of course, take capital S, because it’s the name of a country.)

southwest

See compass points.

spring [season]

Not capitalised.

standalone

One word.

startup

It’s one word, not hyphenated, when used in the sense of a company or project initiated by an entrepreneur.

storytelling

One word.

straitjacket

Not straightjacket.

strata, stratum

Plural: strata. Singular: stratum.

style guide

Two words.

subcontractor

No hyphen.

summer

Not capitalised.

sync

In sync rather than in synch.

systematic, systemic

Sometimes confused.

  • Systematic means pretty much the same as methodical: done or acting according to a set method or system.
  • Systemic means relating to a (whole) system: a systemic disease is widespread, as opposed to a localised disease. If you read of “systematic bias”, the author almost certainly meant “systemic bias”.