Followup, Follow-up, Follow Up: Which is Correct?

"Follow up" is the verb form, indicating the act of pursuing, revisiting, or continuing something that was previously initiated or discussed. "Follow-up" is the hyphenated form, which serves as both a noun and an adjective. "Followup" is sometimes used as a single word without a hyphen, but this is not standard.

In the English language, the presence or absence of a hyphen can alter the meaning of a phrase. Case in point: "followup," "follow up," and "follow-up." Meaning "to continue a process or activity", this is a very common phrase in business communication, and understanding proper usage is crucial. These terms might appear interchangeable, but grammatically speaking, they serve different functions.

Followup vs. Follow-up vs. Follow Up

Follow Up (verb): "Follow up" is the verb form, indicating the act of pursuing, revisiting, or continuing something that was previously initiated or discussed. If you want to say that someone is "following up" on something, you want to have a space between the two words.

Follow-up (noun or adjective): "Follow-up" is the hyphenated form, which serves as both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it refers to a subsequent action, examination, or communication that comes after an initial event. As an adjective, it describes something related to such subsequent actions or activities.

Followup: "Followup" is sometimes used as a single word without a hyphen, but this is not standard. We recommend you write "follow-up" when using the phrase as a noun or adjective.

In summary, you can either follow up on an email (verb form), send a follow-up email (adjective form), or send a follow-up (noun form).

Example Sentences

Follow Up (Open Form - Verb Phrase):

I will follow up with the client to address any concerns.
It's essential to follow up on job applications to demonstrate your interest.
Don't forget to follow up with a thank-you note after the interview.
After the initial meeting, I will follow up with an email to summarize our discussion.
Can you please follow up with the client to confirm the details of the project?
I need to follow up with the supplier to ensure that our order will be delivered on time.
The detective promised to follow up on any leads in the investigation.
It's essential to follow up on customer complaints promptly to maintain customer satisfaction.
After attending the seminar, I plan to follow up with additional research on the topic.
We had a great brainstorming session, but we need to follow up with a concrete action plan.

Follow-up (Hyphenated Form - Noun and Adjective):

The doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment to check on the patient's progress.
After the presentation, there will be a follow-up discussion.
The follow-up email contained all the necessary information.
The researcher conducted a follow-up to gather feedback from customers.
The doctor recommended a follow-up appointment to check on your progress.
The doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment to monitor the patient's recovery.
After the training workshop, participants received a follow-up survey to provide feedback.
We sent a follow-up email to inquire about the status of our job application.
The customer service team made a follow-up call to ensure the issue was resolved to the customer's satisfaction.
Following the initial meeting, a follow-up discussion was arranged to address any outstanding questions.

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