Let me say the quiet part out loud: I’ve been editing and writing for more than ten years, and I still get pinged about “onsite or on site.” Yes, that exact phrasing. In my experience, people get tangled up because hyphens feel like tiny grammar knives. Sharp. Fussy. Unclear. And when you add LSI-style cousins like “on-site support,” “off-site meeting,” “remote vs on-site,” “compound modifiers,” or “hyphenation rules,” folks panic. I’ve seen project managers argue with copyeditors like it’s a sport. I’ve also seen developers write “onprem” in a slide deck and call it a day. So yeah, I care about this stuff—but I also think we can keep it simple, clear, and a little bit funny.
Why people fight about hyphens (and why I keep snacks at my desk)
I’ve always found that hyphens are less about “rules” and more about “clarity.” A hyphen pulls two words together so your reader doesn’t trip. That’s it. Honestly, most of us aren’t trying to write poetry. We’re trying to help a customer find the right door, or help a student pass an exam, or keep a team from writing seven different spellings in the same doc.
What I think is funny: people will argue for twenty minutes about “on-site” vs “onsite” while misspelling the client’s name twice. Priorities, you know?
If you like receipts, the Chicago Manual of Style hyphens page has enough nuance to make even calm people sigh. And dictionaries? Merriam-Webster lists it as on-site in Merriam-Webster. Hyphen. Clear. Done. (Well. Mostly done.)
Quick baseline: adjective vs adverb
Here’s the plain, no-drama version I teach new writers:
- Use “on-site” with a hyphen when it’s an adjective before a noun: “on-site support,” “on-site staff,” “on-site exam.”
- Use “on site” as two words when it stands on its own, usually after the verb: “I’ll be on site,” “The doctor works on site twice a week.”
That’s 90% of it. The other 10%? House style. Your company might prefer “onsite” as one word across the board. I don’t love it, but I also like being paid. So I follow the style guide.
Examples I use in real life
- Adjective (hyphen): “We offer on-site classes.”
- Adverb (no hyphen): “Classes are held on site.”
- Adjective (hyphen): “On-site Wi‑Fi is included.”
- Adverb (no hyphen): “You can connect to Wi‑Fi on site.”
My rule of thumb
If it’s right before a noun, use “on-site.” If it floats after the verb like a chill friend, use “on site.” If your boss says “We use onsite,” fine—just be consistent everywhere.
What different style guides say (and why they disagree)
In my experience, style guides are like families at a holiday dinner. Everyone says they’re “reasonable,” and yet here we are. Some guides favor the hyphen. Some leave it open. Some close it. The big ones (AP, Chicago, company house styles) don’t always agree. That’s okay.
- Dictionary baseline: “on-site” is recognized and common in American English. See the dictionary link above. Handy for winning that Slack argument.
- Editorial style: Chicago tends to prefer clarity—use hyphens when they reduce ambiguity.
- News writing: AP leans practical. If a hyphen keeps a reader from stumbling, use it.
- UK vs US: British English sometimes hyphenates a bit less in modern usage, but you’ll still see “on-site” widely used in the UK, especially in public sector writing.
Bottom line? Pick a guide. Stick to it. Document it in your house style so the next intern doesn’t panic.
House style: the thing you ignore until it bites you
Your team needs a stance. I know, it’s boring. But it saves hours of “Is it on site or on-site?” emails.
- Choose your form: “on-site” as adjective, “on site” as adverb. Or go full “onsite” everywhere.
- Log it in a quick doc with examples.
- Add related forms: “off-site,” “on-premises,” “in-house,” “remote work,” “site visit,” “vendor on site.”
- Include your “don’t do this” list: no en dashes, don’t capitalize mid-sentence, avoid mixing forms on one page.
How I explain it to non-writers (and keep my friends)
I keep it simple: words before a noun hold hands. That’s what hyphens do. Words floating after the verb go solo.
- Holding hands: “on-site training,” “on-site lab,” “on-site parking.”
- Going solo: “Training happens on site,” “The lab is on site,” “Parking is on site.”
When someone says “But I saw ‘onsite’ at Big Fancy Company,” I say: cool, that’s their house style. Not a crime. Not a cult. Just a choice. Consistency beats correctness when the “correctness” is fuzzy anyway.
Real stories from my inbox
Years ago, a project manager told me to “remove all hyphens. They’re old-fashioned.” I asked if she also wanted to remove commas because they’re needy. She did not laugh. We kept the hyphens.
Another time, a developer wrote “onsiteonly” (one word) in an API response. I asked if the endpoint was allergic to spaces. He said, “Pretty much.” We renamed it “on_site_only.” Not pretty, but at least nobody thought it meant “one stone.”
I’ve learned to pick my battles. If I’m writing a medical policy, I fight for clarity. If I’m writing a marketing page, I go with the brand’s choice and move on with my life.
Industry-by-industry sanity check
Different fields have their own habits. Here’s what I’ve seen.
- IT and software: “on-site support,” “on-premises servers,” “off-site backup.” Some teams say “onsite” in tickets because speed > style. I get it.
- Construction: “on-site inspection,” “on-site crew,” “on site by 7 a.m.” Blueprints don’t care about grammar, but safety memos do.
- Healthcare: “on-site clinic,” “on-site lab testing,” “patients seen on site.” Accuracy matters when someone’s blood is involved.
- Events: “on-site registration,” “on-site badge pickup,” “speakers check in on site.”
- Education: “on-site exam,” “on-site tutoring,” “students meet on site Thursday.”
Where “onsite” as one word shows up (and whether I fight it)
I see “onsite” a lot in internal docs, job postings, and Jira. It’s short. It looks clean. And no one wants to argue about hyphens at 5 p.m. Is it wrong? Not really. It’s just not the most standard in formal writing. If you’re submitting to a journal, go with “on-site/on site.” If you’re writing a sprint ticket? I won’t chase you.
SEO people, hi, I see you
For search, people type every version: “onsite,” “on-site,” “on site,” and also “on-prem,” “on premises,” “in-house support,” “field service,” “off-site backup.” If I’m writing a blog, I’ll use “on-site” where it makes sense, sprinkle in the others naturally, and trust Google to understand related terms. I will not stuff keywords. I like my sleep.
Tiny rules that solve big headaches
- Compound adjectives: hyphen before the noun. “On-site-only pass” takes two hyphens. Looks odd, works fine.
- After the verb: drop the hyphen. “The pass works on site.”
- Don’t use an en dash by mistake. That longer line is for ranges—like “June–August.”
- Plural and possessive: “on-site workers’ lounge.” Yes, the apostrophe goes after the s if it’s plural.
- Titles and headers: pick one form and keep it through the page. Readers notice whiplash.
When I actually type the phrase people argue about
If someone literally writes “onsite or on site” to me, I ask two questions:
- Is it an adjective before a noun (like “on-site crew”)? Then use “on-site.”
- Is it acting like an adverb after the verb (like “We’ll be on site”)? Then use “on site.”
If they say, “Our brand book says ‘onsite’ everywhere,” I shrug. Cool. Consistency is a valid strategy. I’m not carving grammar into granite tablets. I’m shipping clear text.
“But my boss says never hyphenate.”
Sure. Some brand voices ditch hyphens. They want a modern vibe. If that’s you, remember to do it everywhere: website, emails, PDFs, slide decks. “Onsite” in one place and “on-site” in another looks sloppy. Pick a lane.
My tried-and-true decision flow
- Step 1: What’s my style guide? (Chicago, AP, internal?)
- Step 2: Is the word before a noun? Use “on-site.”
- Step 3: Is it floating after the verb? Use “on site.”
- Step 4: Do I need to match existing pages? Then mirror that spelling.
- Step 5: Will a non-native reader understand it fast? If not, add an example.
“Table” you can skim in 20 seconds
I promised simple. Here’s my quick-reference “table,” no fancy boxes:
- Form: on-site — Use: adjective before a noun — Example: “on-site support is available.”
- Form: on site — Use: adverb after the verb — Example: “We’ll be on site by noon.”
- Form: onsite — Use: house style only — Example: “Onsite roles only” (if your brand insists).
- Form: off-site — Use: opposite of on-site — Example: “off-site backup is required.”
- Form: on-premises — Use: tech/IT — Example: “on-premises servers vs cloud.”
Edge cases that make people grumpy
- Headline case: “On-Site Support That Doesn’t Vanish.” Capitalize both parts if your style says so.
- URL slugs: keep it simple: “/on-site-support” or “/onsite-support.” Choose once, stick to it.
- Legal docs: mirror the defined term. If the contract defines “On-Site,” use that exact form every time.
- Localization: check the target market’s norm. US readers expect “on-site.” Some regions accept “onsite.”
Yes, people care. No, it’s not life or death.
I’ve lost hours to this debate. I’ve also seen readers stumble when the form changes three times in a single page. So yes, I care enough to be consistent. I also care enough to not turn this into a personality test. If your team writes “onsite,” I can live with it. I will not print a T-shirt about it. (Okay, I might.)
Proofreading cheat moves
- Search for “on site” and “on-site” across the draft. Normalize.
- Check headings, buttons, and alt text. Those get missed.
- Make a tiny style note at the top of your doc: “We use on-site/on site.”
- If you switch forms for SEO reasons, add a comment so future you knows why.
When I break my own rule
Sometimes the hyphen looks ugly in a tight layout. A mobile button with “On‑Site Support” might wrap in a weird way. If the design cries, I’ll test “Onsite Support” and see if it reads fine in that spot. I document the exception and keep moving. Clear beats perfect.
Small talk that actually helps
Editors love to argue, but the fastest way to align is to point to a source and be done. If I need backup, I throw in that Chicago link or the dictionary entry I shared earlier. Then I move on to real problems, like why the homepage headline says nothing and everything at once.
Related rabbit holes (for when you can’t sleep)
- Hyphen vs en dash vs em dash: different lengths, different jobs.
- Other compound modifiers: “full-time,” “part-time,” “long-term,” “customer-first.”
- Siblings you’ll see: “in-house,” “off-site,” “site-specific,” “walk-in,” “real-time.”
A word on news and trends
I keep an eye on how words shift in everyday writing. Tech and media change fast. If you like to watch usage drift (nerd alert), skim the language and writing news every so often. You’ll see how teams slowly move from “on-premises” to “on-prem,” or from “e-mail” to “email,” and so on.
Practical scripts you can copy-paste
When a teammate asks which form to use
“Use ‘on-site’ when it’s before a noun (on-site team). Use ‘on site’ after the verb (We’ll be on site). If you see ‘onsite’ in older pages, we’re phasing it out—just match the current page for now.”
When a client insists on ‘onsite’
“We can follow your house style. For clarity, let’s use ‘onsite’ everywhere so we don’t mix forms.”
When a stakeholder wants zero hyphens
“Happy to use ‘onsite’ if that’s your brand. Let’s lock it into the style guide and update headlines and buttons to match.”
The part where I say the quiet thing again
I care less about winning and more about helping readers. If someone is trying to find your “on-site registration,” please don’t make them decode five spellings. Give them one spelling. Give them one path. Save the creative energy for something fun, like a headline that doesn’t sound like every SaaS site ever.
If you only remember one thing
Before a noun? “On-site.” After the verb? “On site.” If your brand says “onsite,” take the win and be consistent. And if someone writes to you literally asking about “onsite or on site,” ask where it sits in the sentence. That’s the whole trick.
FAQs
- Q: Is “on-site” always correct? A: It’s correct when it’s an adjective before a noun. Otherwise use “on site.” If your brand uses “onsite,” that can be fine too—just be consistent.
- Q: What about “off-site”? A: Same rule, flipped. “Off-site meeting” before the noun. “We’re meeting off site” after the verb.
- Q: Does British English do it differently? A: Often similar. You’ll see “on-site” in UK government writing and lots of UK media. Some teams drop more hyphens—check the house style.
- Q: Can I use “onsite” in formal writing? A: I’d avoid it in academic or legal text unless the target journal, court, or client uses it. For blogs, internal docs, or product UI? Sure, if that’s your style.
- Q: Why do some pages mix forms? A: Because multiple people touched the copy across time. Do a quick search/replace pass and lock in one style. Future you will thank you.
Anyway, I’ve got three tabs open and a teammate pinging me about capitalization in button text. So I’m going to step away and sip coffee that tastes like decisions. If you’re still thinking about hyphens after this, welcome to the club. If not, even better. You’ve got what you need.
Hey, I’m Lucas. My blog explores the patterns and connects the dots between tech, business, and gaming. If you’re a curious mind who loves to see how different worlds intersect, you’re in the right place.
