IT Help Desk or IT Helpdesk
Yeah, is it help desk or Helpdesk?
So, last week’s blog and Linkedin post got a few emails and DM’s flying in to our inbox. We also had complaints from our in-house staff and even a tongue in cheek phone call from one of our customers suggesting we can’t spell or don’t have the greatest grasp of grammar! Harsh!
Is help desk two words or is it one word as in Helpdesk? The answer appears to be how old you are. All of the young people we spoke to said Helpdesk as one word. The more mature of us said it’s help desk. As part of the latter camp, I lament the demise of Latin teaching in schools. That’s what caused this!
Just to double check, we asked ChatGPT what he or she thought and got the response:
“Help desk is traditionally written as two words, especially in formal writing and IT service contexts (e.g., IT help desk). However, helpdesk (one word) is sometimes used in branding, product names, or informal contexts. For professional or technical documentation, help desk (two words) is the preferred and more widely accepted form”.
Having said that, Grok AI disagreed saying:
“The term help desk can be written as either two words or as one compound word, depending on the style guide or regional preference:
• Two words: help desk is commonly used in American English and is generally preferred in contexts where clarity or formality is emphasized. • One word: helpdesk is often seen in British English or in contexts where space is a concern (like in tech or software interfaces). It’s also becoming more common in branding or when referring to a specific service or department name.
Therefore, both are correct.”
I’m sure we’re thinking too much about this but thanks for the DM’s, emails, the texts and that phone call. Who woulda thought?
