#Technical-Writing
Pay attention to small details that make your language more
sophisticated and professional. Does the dash matter in this case and
what option is a correct one?
If you are a developer or just are somehow connected to the IT world, you definitely have come across the word plug-in.
According to the Oxford dictionary, plug-in (computing) is a piece of computer software that can be added to a system so that it can do more things.
Thought, when searching on the web you see that both plug-in and plugin are actively used and this is confusing. Are people just lazy to add the dash or are both options appropriate?
Actually, we are facing this word under its development stage. The word is listed as a plug-in in all dictionaries, though the rapidly changing IT world has already a common practice of using a plugin instead, thus simplifying its spelling. See the examples at the websites of the IT market giants: Google , Atlassian .
So, if you don’t have some specific style guides or rules to follow, it’s up to you which option to choose. The most important thing is to be consistent throughout the text or article and use either plug-in or plugin.