Why do you spell "alot" instead of "a lot"?

Question

I haven't learned the word "alot" at school. Is it a proper word? Can I use it?

Answer 1

I tend to use it, but it is merely a bad habit that I formed when I was young.

'A lot' is always two words. My English teacher did not like us using 'a lot'. She used to say 'a lot' is where you build a house. She preferred us to use other words. It was one of her many pet peeves.

My theory on this is that if you are going to use 'lot' as meaning a large amount, it should be written as 'a whole lot'. Maybe it just got shortened in my mind to 'a lot' and then to 'alot' as a young child. The written English language can be very confusing with its many rules and exceptions.

I think I may have to start proofreading my answers! LOL

Answer 2

It was spelled alot in Canada till 1991 that I know of when I was done highschool. I dont know why they changed it unless it is the way the Americans spell it. Even the way I spelled highschool is wrong by my spelling corrector on the PC,lol, which WAS the right way before & Now they want to remove the letter Zz and HAVE done so for alot (lol) of words like energise(so weird to see it this way) ETC. I think it is stupid but they are always trying to be innovative in ways that sometimes are Not proper...IMO

Answer 3

Okay, I've seen enough...alot is not a word in the English language...american English maybe...the proper way to write it is; a lot (notice it's two words) or allot (when talking about distribution).

So many experts out there and yet no one (a few excluded) has any idea what they're talking about!!! Let's get a grip out there, if you don't know...then just keep your fingers away from the keyboard.

Definitions:
a lot;

Very many, a large number; also, very much. For example, A lot of people think the economy is declining, or Sad movies always made her cry a lot. It is sometimes put as a whole lot for greater emphasis, as in I learned a whole lot in his class. It may also emphasize a comparative indication of amount, as in We need a whole lot more pizza to feed everyone, or Mary had a lot less nerve than I expected.

al-lot;
verb (used with object), -l-t-ted, -l-t-ting. 1. to divide or distribute by share or portion; distribute or parcel out; apportion: to allot the available farmland among the settlers.
2. to appropriate for a special purpose: to allot money for a park.
3. to assign as a portion; set apart; dedicate.

Answer 4

Alot Or A Lot

Answer 5

It's not a word. Don't use it.

I wonder if it's a confusion of "a lot" with "allot" (to distribute), or maybe an analogy to "cannot".

Answer 6

Alot is a slang language for a lot that is a correct written.I can not find the word alot in the Webster's dictionary.

Answer 7

I might be wrong, but I think "alot" is taught more in British education systems. At least that's been my experience. None of my English teachers in college (here in the US) corrected me either, so I've kept going with it.

Answer 8

alot is not accepted in proper school papers .....it should be a lot....but most professors and teachers really look down on the word "a lot"....they want you to use "many" or other synonyms!

Answer 9

some of it depends on how you use it in a sentence. they can mean the same thing or . I am buying a lot of things, alot of people don't speak the Queens English any more.
This comes from the fact that we are a multi langue nation and pronounce and speak things differently.
And we are becoming a nation of people that are shouting the langue to fit more words in a smaller space.u for you

Answer 10

"Alot" is not correct but to explain...
it is probably because one tends to differentiate between "a lot of crap" for instance and "he drinks a lot/ alot" where "a lot" is an adverb...
Following the pattern "a side of town" and "leave it aside"
It's the only explanation I can come up with...