Vocabulary B1–B2 6 min read Updated 10 June 2026

Quick answer: Altogether (one word) is an adverb meaning completely or in total: “That’s altogether wrong.” All together (two words) means everyone or everything at the same time and in the same place: “We sang all together.” The quick test: if you can replace the phrase with entirely or in total, use one word (altogether). If you can insert all elsewhere in the sentence without changing the meaning, use two words (all together).

Comparison Table

WordMeaningPart of SpeechExample
altogether completely; in total; on the whole adverb The plan was altogether too risky.
all together everyone/everything at the same time and in the same place adverb phrase The students read the poem all together.

Using Altogether (One Word)

Altogether written as a single word is an adverb. It has three closely related meanings, and all of them involve a sense of totality or completeness.

1. Completely or entirely

Use altogether when you mean something is completely true, fully the case, or entirely one thing:

That is altogether wrong — you need to start again.

The situation is not altogether surprising.

She seemed altogether too calm given the circumstances.

2. In total (summing up)

Use altogether when you are totalling an amount or counting everything up:

That will be £42 altogether.

There were fifteen people altogether at the party.

He spent three hours altogether on the report.

3. On the whole / taking everything into account

Use altogether to summarise a general judgement:

Altogether, it was a productive week.

Altogether, I think the new policy is an improvement.

Common Phrases with Altogether

  • not altogether surprising (not completely unexpected)
  • altogether different (completely different, of another kind entirely)
  • stop altogether (cease completely)
  • in the altogether (informal British English: naked)

Using All Together (Two Words)

All together as two separate words is an adverb phrase meaning that everyone or everything is in the same place at the same time, or that a group does something simultaneously. The word all refers to each individual member of a group.

The family was all together for the first time in years.

Say it all together, on my count: one, two, three!

Let’s push the boxes all together — they’re heavy.

The choir sang the final chorus all together.

The Separation Test

A reliable grammar test: if you can move all to a different position in the sentence without changing the meaning, the two-word form is correct. The all belongs to the noun or pronoun, not to the adverb:

The students were all together in the hall. → All the students were together in the hall. (Moving all works — use two words.)

The meeting was altogether pointless. → ✗ All the meeting was together pointless. (Moving fails — use one word.)

Common Phrases with All Together

  • all together now (a signal for everyone to act simultaneously)
  • sing all together (everyone singing at once)
  • gathered all together (assembled as a group)
  • put it all together (assemble the parts — though here “all” modifies “it”, still two words)

Memory Trick

Mnemonic: Think of the letter count. Altogether is one word → it refers to one complete whole (“entirely” or “in total”). All together is two words → it refers to a group of people or things (more than one, all in one place).

Substitution trick: Replace the word with entirely. If the sentence still makes sense, write altogether (one word). If it does not, write all together (two words).

“That is altogether wrong.” → “That is entirely wrong.” ✓ (One word correct.)
“We sang all together.” → “We sang entirely.” ✗ (Two words correct.)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1 — Using the two-word form when you mean “completely”

✗ That is all together wrong.
✓ That is altogether wrong.
All together here would mean “wrong as a group,” which makes no sense. The intended meaning is “completely wrong,” so the one-word form is required.

Mistake 2 — Using the one-word form when describing a group

✗ The team celebrated altogether.
✓ The team celebrated all together.
Here the sentence describes a group acting simultaneously. Substituting entirely produces “the team celebrated entirely,” which sounds unnatural. Two words are needed.

Mistake 3 — Confusing with “all told” or “in all”

✗ There were twelve guests all together at the dinner.
✓ There were twelve guests altogether at the dinner.
When summing a count (“in total”), altogether is a single adverb. The two-word phrase only works if the twelve guests were physically in one place simultaneously — context determines which is correct.

Mistake 4 — Misspelling as “altogther” or “alltoghether”

✗ altogther / alltoghether
✓ altogether
The word is built from all + together compressed: a-l-t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r. Note only one l at the start, and together spelled in full.

Practice Exercises

Solidify your understanding with these interactive LexFizz exercises:

  • Grammar Quiz — choose altogether or all together in multiple-choice questions.
  • Complete the Sentence — type the correct form to complete each sentence.
  • Cloze Dropdown — select the right word from a dropdown in context.
  • True or False — decide whether the use of altogether or all together is correct.

More Confusing Words

Explore other commonly confused word pairs on LexFizz:

Affect vs Effect Then vs Than Further vs Farther Stationary vs Stationery Lose vs Loose Principal vs Principle

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between altogether and all together?
Altogether (one word) is an adverb meaning completely, in total, or on the whole: “That idea is altogether impractical” (= completely impractical). All together (two words) is an adverb phrase meaning everyone or everything at the same time in the same place: “The class answered all together” (= simultaneously, as a group). The key difference is meaning: one word = totality or completeness; two words = collective simultaneous action or presence.
How do I know whether to write altogether or all together?
Use the substitution test: replace the word with entirely. If the sentence still makes sense, write altogether (one word). If entirely does not fit but at the same time or as a group does, write all together (two words). For example: “He stopped altogether” → “He stopped entirely” ✓ (one word). “They left all together” → “They left entirely” ✗ (two words correct).
Is “all together now” one word or two?
It is two words — all together now. This phrase is used to signal that everyone should do something simultaneously: “All together now — one, two, three, push!” The word all refers to the group of people, and together means at the same time. Because you could rephrase it as “Now, all of you together” and the meaning is unchanged, the two-word form is correct. The famous Beatles song is called “Come Together,” but the phrase “all together now” in everyday speech is always two words.
Can altogether mean “in total” or “on the whole”?
Yes — altogether has three main meanings. (1) Completely or entirely: “That is altogether wrong.” (2) In total, adding everything up: “That will be £50 altogether.” (3) On the whole, taking everything into account: “Altogether, it was a good year.” All three uses are single-word adverb senses. Only the two-word form all together carries the meaning of a group acting simultaneously.
What does “in the altogether” mean?
In the altogether is an informal British English idiom meaning completely naked or nude: “The streaker ran across the pitch in the altogether.” It uses altogether (one word) in its sense of “completely” or “entirely.” This expression is somewhat dated and more commonly found in humorous or colloquial contexts. It should not be confused with all together, which has nothing to do with nudity.
Is “altogether different” correct?
Yes — altogether different (one word) is correct and means completely different or of an entirely different kind: “The new manager had an altogether different approach.” This is a common collocation. Writing all together different would be incorrect because all together modifies a group performing an action, not an adjective. Whenever altogether is followed by an adjective, it always means completely and is one word.
Can I separate “all together” in a sentence?
Yes — and this is actually the key test. When all together can be split by moving all to another part of the sentence without changing the meaning, two words are correct: “We were all together” = “All of us were together.” The all belongs to the subject, not to the adverb. When you cannot separate the word this way, the single-word altogether is needed: “That is altogether wrong” — you cannot say “All that is wrong together.”
Why do people confuse altogether and all together?
The confusion arises because both forms look and sound very similar, and both involve the idea of completeness or wholeness. Additionally, in fast or informal speech the two-word phrase all together often sounds identical to the one-word altogether. Writers unsure of the difference tend to default to one form. The error is extremely common: major publishers and native speakers make the mistake regularly, which is why it appears on most lists of commonly confused English expressions.
Is “stop altogether” correct?
Yes — stop altogether is correct and means to cease completely: “She decided to stop smoking altogether.” Here altogether (one word) modifies the verb and means entirely or completely. Writing stop all together would imply that a group of people stopped simultaneously, which is a different meaning. Stop altogether is one of the most frequent collocations of the word and is perfectly standard in both British and American English.
Does American English use altogether and all together the same way as British English?
Yes — the grammatical rule is the same in both British and American English. Altogether (one word) = completely or in total; all together (two words) = everyone simultaneously in one place. There is no regional variation in the rule itself. The informal idiom in the altogether (meaning naked) is primarily British and would be unfamiliar to many American speakers, but the core distinction between the one-word and two-word forms applies universally in standard English.