Incase or encase

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Grammarist

In case is a phrase that means to do something as a safeguard or precaution. This can also be used when someone else may have not done something (e.g., in case you haven’t…). This is always spelled as two words.

In case of is a phrase that means if an event happens another action should be done. It is usually seen in the phrase in case of emergency followed by an instruction.

Encase is a verb that means to entirely cover or enclose an object or person. The noun form is encasement. European dictionaries list incase as an accepted alternative spelling, but American English dictionaries do not. Our advice is to stick to the safe side and use encase in all instances.

Examples

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is on standby to assist Britons in Greece in case the cash-strapped country pulls out of the eurozone and holidaymakers are left stranded. [Daily Mail]

In an unprecedented move, Poland’s president has appointed army Lt. Gen. Marek Tomaszycki as commander of the nation’s armed forces in case of war. [ABC News]

But just in case you’re seriously considering this, please allow me the opportunity to convince you to do otherwise. [Wired]

Finland and Sweden hope to be the first countries in the world to be able to put the most dangerous high-level waste (HLW) into underground storage in the next decade, using a new technology to encase fuel rods and protect them from erosion. [The Japan Times]

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