I often get asked what the correct spelling of Time-Lapse is? Is it Time Lapse or Timelapse, or even Time-Lapse?
In this post I’ll explain why I use them all, and the ridiculously simple answer to answer the debate time lapse or timelapse?
The good news is if you ask me, they’re all fine.
Especially if we consider that 99% of people are searching for the wrong spelling.
According to Google only one percent of the world searches for the time using the correct spelling.
Which begs the question, if you want information about time lapse photography how should you even search for it?
Is it Time Lapse or Timelapse?
This is a question I use to ask myself when first starting out. Googling is it time lapse or timelapse? Then learning there’s even an option with time-lapse?
Oh the conundrum, if it wasn’t enough to learn about intervals, shutter speed, frame rate or if I should use aperture priority or manual mode for holy grail time lapses, I didn’t even know the correct spelling of the thing I was spending most of my time doing.
Luckily I didn’t have to type the word often and would just say it.
I still see quite a few people asking online which is why I wanted to tackle it.
Technically speaking, time-lapse is a compound word that originated in 1927 but it’s “CORRECT’ spelling is so underused that less than 1% of the world uses the correct spelling.
Which if that’s the case, isn’t that just strange?
Definition of Time Lapse?
According to Merriam-Webster the correct spelling is time-lapse. You’re more than welcome to use that, but it’s not the full story.
The reason it’s not, is because NO ONE uses that word. Which I think is quite funny because every year words get used so much that they enter the dictionary.
So don’t get annoyed when others use different spelling.
I’ll often use all three interchangeably.
Why I use Time Lapse the most.
According to Google Trends, most of the world population uses the term time lapse to search for time-lapse.
The second most common word people use to search for the term is timelapse.
The third most is Time-lapse with a search volume that Google defines as “not enough data” to even register it.
So if I want to help as many people as I can improve their time lapse photography? Which one should I use, the answer is easy.
Time lapse with a space.
Is it the most technically correct, no.
But do people care if they are improving their skills and learning along the way? I don’t think so.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those things I don’t have a strong opinion on. As I understand compound words, they are all completely interchangeable and if I were to be a stickler and try to correct everyone it’d be an uphill battle that would make me annoying to the very people I’m trying to help. People learning time lapse photography.
That doesn’t make much sense in my book and I think if I was trying to learn something new and people just kept telling me I was wrong about the spelling instead of trying to teach me the information I would get over them quicker than a poop-flavored lollipop.
Thanks for reading, if you want to level up your time lapse and hyperflow skills check out my course.
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