Alas, another case for us to clear up here at SpellCheckOnline.Com, and clear it up we shall. This is a highly debated word usage with a long musical history. If you are a music fan you would be forgiven for thinking “alright” is, well, all right. And here’s why
In 1965, The Who released “The Kids Are Alright.”
In 1989 Janet Jackson said it’s “Alright With Me.”
In 2002 Jennifer Lopez told us it was “Gonna Be Alright.”
In 2004, The Killers told us “Everything Will be Alright.”
But is “alright” really “all right?”
Scholars and grammarians are constantly debating the usage. All right is a synonym for okay or satisfactory, for example, “Are you all right?” It can, however, also mean “all correct”, as in, “My performance on the day was all right.”
Some argue that alright is an acceptable interchangeable usage with most uses of all right, usually in dialogue: “Peter, do you want to come to the game with me today?” “Alright then.”
But, all that said and done, most teachers and editors don’t think “alright” is all right at all. So our advice is this. If you aren’t sure which one to use, it is best to opt for the more widely accepted two-word version “all right,” particularly in academic or professional writing.
