No One, Noone or No-one – Difference & Examples

Photo of author

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

No one means not any person or nobody. But why do some people say noone or no-one? Is no one one word or two? Is it no one, noone, or no-one? All the answers to your questions are here. Learn the difference between no one, noone, and no-one.

No One, Noone, or No-One

  • No one is the correct spelling and phrase that means nobody.
  • No-one is a hyphenated form of no one, which is accepted by very few style guides.
  • Noone is an incorrect word and a common error.
No one Noone No one Ngram
No one, noone, and no-one usage trend.

This image shows an Ngram of no one, noone, and no-one. It reveals that no one has been the most widely used phrase ever since.

The correct term to use is no one without the hyphen. It’s an indefinite pronoun that means nobody. Even though other pronouns like nobody, somebody, somebody, and someone are one word, no one is composed of two words.

This phrase means nobody, no person, or not a single person. It’s the opposite of everyone. For example:

  • No one called me about the project changes.
  • I want no one to know my secret.

No-one is only acceptable outside North America. This hyphenated word is an alternative spelling to no one, which means it has the same meaning.

No-one became popular in the mid-1940s. While many grammarians do not recommend this version because it’s more complicated than no one, others advocate its use. Consider this example:

  • No one person can beat him.

Here, no one is used as an additional noun that emphasizes singularity. It can cause ambiguity, especially when the reader reaches “person.” Only then will the reader understand that “no one” means “no single” and not the indefinite pronoun.

The example below is an alternative.

  • No-one person can beat him.

But, not everyone’s a fan of the hyphenated version no-one.

Noone is never right. Its spelling is not the same as nobody, somebody, or someone.

Examples of Using No One

Grammarist Article Graphic V4 2022 12 21T160319.853

Here are some examples of no one in a sentence.

  • Everyone owes nothing and no one.
  • No one warned us about the typhoon.
  • No one in the class knows where Patty and Ricky went.
  • “No one will protect us”: how Haiti has become deadly for journalists. (The Guardian)
  • She Came Out of Nowhere, and Now No One in France Can Ignore Her. (NY Times)
  • ‘The Blind Woodsman’ — Whose Designs Wow Millions — Says ‘No One Would Know’ Him Without Wife (People)

Is It No Ones or No One’s?

The correct phrase is no one’s when indicating possession or ownership. For example:

  • The car outside is no one’s.
  • No one’s daughter in town wanted to speak to him.

Final Word on No One, Noone, and No-One

I hope this guide cleared your confusion between no one, noone, and no-one. No one and no-one are both correct, while noone is wrong.

  • No one is correct in all cases.
  • No-one is acceptable in some contexts outside North America.

Comments are closed.