W
waitlist (n.), wait-list (v.)
wake-up call
walk up (v.), walk-up (n. and adj.)
Washington, D.C.
- Use state of Washington or Washington state to refer to the state.
- Do not abbreviate Washington as Wash.
war
- Capitalize as part of the official name: Gulf War, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Cold War.
warlike
warlord
wartime
washed-up (adj.)
web
- Short form of World Wide Web. Lowercase.
- Also webpage and webfeed.
web-based
- Hyphenate.
website
- Also, webcam, webcast and webmaster.
- When writing websites, remove http:// if the website begins with www: www.aucegypt.edu.
- If the website doesn't begin with www, then add http://: https://careercenter.aucegypt.edu, http://catalog.aucegypt.edu.
- Capitalize proper names of websites, but do not italicize.
weekend
weeklong
weights
- Use figures: The baby weighed 3.5 kilograms.
WEL
- Stands for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program.
- If space is limited, use Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program.
West, west
- See directions.
well
- Hyphenate as part of a compound modifier: She is a well-known singer.
well-to-do
well-wishers
whereabouts
- Takes a singular or plural verb. His whereabouts is unknown. His whereabouts are unknown.
wherever
who, whom
- Who is used for references to human beings and animals. It is always the subject of a sentence: The student who won the award graduated last year. Who is at the door?
- Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition: The student to whom the award was granted graduated last year. Whom do you wish to meet?
whistleblower
white-collar (adj.)
who’s, whose
- Who’s is a contraction for who is. Whose is a possessive noun: Whose book is this?
wholehearted
-wide
- No hyphen. Some examples: campuswide, citywide, nationwide, countrywide, worldwide, industrywide. But hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: campus-wide event.
wide-
- Usually hyphenated. Some examples: wide-angle, wide-eyed. Exception: widespread.
widths
- See dimensions.
WiFi
- Acceptable in all references for wireless networking.
wiki
WikiLeaks
Wikipedia
- Should not be used as a primary source for information.
- See Social Media Guidelines.
wildlife
will
- See shall, will and subjunctive mood.
wind up (v.), windup (n. and adj.)
wintertime
wiretap, wiretapper (n.); wiretap, wiretapped, wiretapping (v.)
-wise
- No hyphen when it means in the direction of (clockwise) or with regard to (otherwise).
WMD
- Weapons of mass destruction. Use WMD on second reference.
Women, female
- Women is a noun; female is an adjective. Correct: female entrepreneurs; Incorrect: women entrepreneurs.
word-of-mouth (n. and adj.)
word processing (adj.)
workbook, workday, workforce, workhorse, workout, workplace, workstation, workweek
workers’ compensation
- Use the plural possessive.
working class (n.), working-class (adj.)
World Bank
- Acceptable in all references for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
World Health Organization
- Use WHO on second reference.
World War I, World War II
worldwide
worn-out
would
- See should, would.