English grammar can be confusing, and this is especially true now in the era we live in. Just because we see something on the internet, it doesn’t mean it is correct. Sometimes people are in such a rush to reply that they don’t even notice typos. In this article, we will describe the terms togather and together and which one is correct.
The correct word to use is “together.” It is the proper spelling when talking about things in the same spot or associated with each other. The term “togather” doesn’t exist in the English language.
“Togather” might be a typo of the word “together” or the expression “to gather.” But there’s not a word like this in English. Let’s now see more details so you can understand the term together.
Understanding The Term “Together” And “Togather”
Now, we will see more details about these two terms. Where they come from, and what is the meaning they have had throughout history.
Etymology Of Together
The term “together” comes from the Proto-Germanic “tōgadar,” which meant to unite or join.
It made its way into English before the 11th century. At the time, the spelling was togædere. By the 15th century, there were two acceptable spellings togedere and togadere. Eventually, it changed to the spelling we know today.
When it comes to “togather,” we explored the etymology of “gather.” We found out that it has a similar origin as the word “together.” They both come from Proto-Germanic expressions; in this case, it is gadurōn which means bring together.
Meaning
The definition of the word “together” conveys a simple meaning, to unite. It is an adverb, so you will mostly find it along with a verb. Some of the definitions of this adverb include:
- Things that are combined
- Two or more items are approximate to each other.
- Two or more people have a relationship.
- Something occurred uninterruptedly.
As an adjective, “together” describes:
- Someone balanced and organized.
How People Use The Terms “Together” And “Togather”
“Together” is an adverb. Sometimes, it can work as an adjective, but it is not common and is considered informal.
A common usage of the word is when someone asks a question or makes a statement and wants to include themselves.
Also, people can say “we are together” to imply that they are in a romantic relationship with someone. If they decide to go on with their relationship after a break-up, you can say they “got back together.”
Our Two Cents About “Togather”
As we previously stated, we consider “togather” a typo from the word “together” or the expression “to gather.” It is not weird; if you think about it, people don’t always have time to proof-check what they write.
It can happen to anyone, you tap the wrong key or miss a space, and then you have a different word. Thankfully, we have software that looks for grammatical errors to let you know about them.
The Phonetics On “Together” And “Togather”
The IPA symbol for “together” is /tə ˈgɛð ər/. In this word, we have three syllables. As you can see, marked with an apostrophe, the stressed syllable is the second one.
The Sounds On The Words “Together” And “Togather”
The consonants and vowel sounds in the word “together” include:
- /t/: it is the typical unvoiced t sound you find in words like “time” or “today.”
- /ə/: the schwa sound is a mid-central unstressed vowel and one of English’s most common vowel sounds.
- /g/: it is a voiced consonant, the sound you have in words like “girl.”
- /ɛ/: it is the open-mid front unrounded vowel, the exact sound you find in the word “bed.”
- /ð/: it is the voiced, dental, fricative consonant. It is the same sound as in the word “this.”
- /r/: it is called an alveolar approximant and is the sound you hear in words like “river.”
The Pronunciation Of The Words “Together” And “Togather”
Now that you have the symbols, we will explain how to pronounce the word “together.”
Start with your lips spread, teeth touching each other, your tongue placed behind your teeth, push air from your throat and release your teeth-tongue seal. Slightly drop your jaw, relax your tongue and vibrate your vocal cords.
Now, your tongue goes to the back of your mouth to block the throat and vibrate your vocal cords. Dramatically drop your jaw, relax your tongue, spread your lips and vibrate your vocal cords. Bring your tongue as if you were to bite it and vibrate your vocal cords to make the “th” sound; you will also feel your tongue vibrating.
Finally, release your tongue into a resting position and vibrate your vocal cords. Quickly move the tip of your tongue to touch your palate while you vibrate your vocal cords.
Related Terms
Other words, idioms, and phrasal verbs related to the term “together” are:
- Altogether: an adverb that means in total.
- Cobble together: a phrasal verb that means to create something promptly.
- Pull together: to accompany someone through a challenging situation.
- Hang together: support someone even when you are in disagreement.
- Hold oneself together: it means to keep control of one’s emotions and act accordingly.
- Herd together: to form a group of people.
- Throw together: 1) when two people meet each other by chance, or 2) create something without any care.
- Weld together: to fuse two or more metals.
- Stick together: to not separate.
- Rake together: to struggle to collect money because you only get small amounts.
- Sleep together: to have sexual intercourse with someone.
- Bunch together: to be part of a mass of people.
- Piece something together: to solve a situation.
- Put your heads together: when a group of people explore different options and come to a final decision.
Synonyms To The Word “Together”
Here we have a list of some words you can use to replace the term “together.”
As an adverb
- Collectively
- Jointly
- Closely
- Mutually
As an adjective
- Dependable
- Even-tempered
- Rational
- Level-headed
- Assertive
Here are some phrases that people use to convey the same meaning:
- As one
- Shoulder to shoulder
- Cheek to jowl
- As cool as a cucumber
- Chilled
Example Sentences Using “Together” And “Togather”
Here are some sample sentences using the term together.
- Do you want to go to the concert together?
- Susan never thought about leaving Mike, even after his alcohol problem, they are together.
- I know Caroll, we went to college together.
- After all the time she had to complete the assignment, Monica decided to leave it to the last minute to cobble together the essay.
- Something I learned at this job is that red and white cables always go together.
- Kids, we are going on a field trip; please stick together to avoid any inconveniences; thank you!
- The purpose of this meeting is to piece something together so we can solve this quarter’s results.
- It was more than evident that they would sleep together; I noticed they were attracted to each other.
Final Thoughts About The Terms
The word “togather” does not exist in English; any grammar-check tool will highlight it as incorrect. It might be a typo from the word “together” or the verb “to gather.”
If you are talking about the association of two or more objects or people, then the correct spelling is “together.” Additionally, you can find many phrasal verbs using the word; in most of them, you see how it helps to convey the meaning of connecting things. We hope this article helps you to clear any doubts you might have had.
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.