When it comes to writing, you may wonder if there’s a difference between “roommate” and “roomate.” You don’t want to confuse your readers or make them think you’ve made a mistake, so it is always important to write words correctly. In this article, we will show you when to use each term correctly so that your writing becomes straightforward and easy to understand.
In writing, you are to use the word “roommate” as a noun when referring to a person who shares living quarters with another, while you are not to use “roomate” in writing because it does not exist in English vocabulary. “Roomate” is the misspelling of “roommate.”
The consequence of misspelling words in English is that it is more difficult to understand what you are trying to say. Also, misspelling words make your writing look unprofessional, so it is best to refrain from doing this as much as possible.
What Do the Words “Roommate” And “Roomate” Mean?
The word “roomate” does not exist in English word. In fact, you can never come across such a word in any dictionary. It is often regarded as a misspelling for “roommate.” Since the word is not a recognized word, it is a word without any semantic meaning. However, the other word, “roommate,” is a recognized word in English.
A roommate is defined as a person who lives with another person in the same apartment, house, or building. The word “roommate” can also describe someone who shares a room with others in an institution such as a school or college dormitory.
The word “roommate” is a compound word. It is made up of two words which are room and mate. A room is a space, whether enclosed or unenclosed and whether or not connected to other spaces by doors, that is intended for use by one or more persons as a living area, while a mate is a person whom you’re friends with.
With the expository above, a roommate is a person you share a room with. This means you and the person are staying under the same roof. Tertiary students commonly use the word “roommate.” It is used to describe students sharing a room in a college dormitory. The short form of the word” roommate” is roomie.
Also, the word is regarded as an American English Variety. It is a word commonly used by Americans. British refers to a roommate as a flatmate. The term “roommate” was coined in late-eighteenth-century American English.
A roommate is also defined as someone who shares a room with another, such as a roommate in college and a person sharing a domestic living space with at least one other person.
Roommates can be found in many different settings and living situations worldwide, such as college dormitories, fraternities, sororities, apartments, hostels, and assisted living homes.
Americans do not use the word “flatmate” because “flat” is not an existing word. Rather they use the word “apartment.” They use the word “roommate” to describe people staying in the same apartment because “roommate” encompasses a broader spectrum of non-romantic space-sharing living situations than just sharing an apartment.
Your roommate can live with you in a house, a rented room, a college dorm, or short-term temporary lodging. Therefore, even though the housing may or may not have anything other than a bedroom, your roommate, and you commonly share it physically.
The synonyms for roommates are bedfellow, flatmate, bunky, friend, mate, roomie, bunkmate, cotenant, tentmate, etc.
How To Properly Use the Words “Roommate” And “Roomate” In A Sentence
As a writer, you should avoid using the word “roomate” in writing. This is because it is a misspelling of the word “roommate.” Spelling is an essential part of the English language. In most instances, proper spelling makes words easier to understand, increases reading comprehension, and may reduce ambiguity.
However, when writing, you should use the word “roommate” as a noun in sentences when talking about a person who shares living quarters with another person, typically in a private house or a small apartment.
The word “roommate” can only function as a naming word(noun). It is only a term used to describe a person. Therefore, whenever you want to refer to someone you are sharing your room or apartment with, use the word “roommate.”
Also, you use the word “roommate” if you are writing in American English. This is to enhance consistency in the style of your writing. In writing, you must select either American or British spelling. It is impossible to write certain terms with American spelling and others with British spelling in the same writing. It is better to stick to one variety of English.
“Roommate” can be written in a different form since it is a compound word. There are three types of compound words, they are. Closed, open, and hyphenated compound words. Here are the differences:
- A close compound word is a word that is made up of two words joined together without space and a hyphen. It is spelled as “roommate.”
- An open compound word is a noun made up of two words that are often used together but have a gap between them. It is spelled as “room mate.”
- A hyphenated compound word comprises two or more words joined together by a hyphen. It is spelled as “room-mate.”
However, the close compound word is still the most popular and conventional way of spelling “roommate.” The word was coined in America in the 1780s.
Bulleted List of Examples of Word(s) Used In Sentences
“Roommate” is the correct word when writing and can only be used as a noun. It cannot function in any other capacity other than a noun. Below are a few examples of how it is used in a sentence:
- I’m currently living with my roommate while I go to college. He’s so neat and is always on time for class.
- Roommate is a noun that means someone who shares living quarters with another person.
- There was a girl who had a roommate. The girl liked her roommate, not because of her personality but because she liked the concept of joint ownership of an apartment.
- When a person becomes your roommate, you expect them to respect your privacy.
- I love my roommate. She lets me borrow anything. I’m so lucky to have a roommate like that. What great roommates you both are.
- I’ve lived with roommates in a few apartments and houses. It has the upsides of sharing rent and utilities, but the downside of less privacy, having to talk to others and getting used to eating other people’s cooking.
- I was hanging out with my roommate at the mall, and my phone got stolen. He took it from me and ran away—what a jerk.
- A quick and adventurous morning walk around the block led to an unusual find: a package for her new roommate.
- Our neighbor, a long-time student of a famous film institute, became a roommate in a new house with his long-time friends. And all these years later, they still talk about the first movie they saw together.
- Your roommate would like to be invited to your housewarming party, so you must decide whether to ask her or not.
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Final Thought
A “roommate” is a person who lives in the same room with another person. Roommate is the standard spelling, and it’s pronounced as[ roo– mayt]. You might also feel that roommate is an alternate spelling for roomate, but this isn’t true either! The word roommate has its unique spelling and pronunciation, so don’t use it as a substitute for roomate or vice versa (unless you want to sound like someone who doesn’t know which words are spelled correctly).
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.