Altogether or All Together?

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What Is the Difference between "Altogether" and "All together"?

"Altogether" and "all together" are easy to confuse because they sound identical and their meanings are similar.

• "Altogether" means wholly or with everything considered. For example:
• The pens are 5 Euros. The paper is 3 Euros. That is 8 Euros altogether.

"All together" means "collectively." For example:

• You must stand all together in the stadium.
(Note that the words "all" and "together" can have other words between. "You must all stand together in the stadium." )

More about "Altogether" and "All Together"

The confusion over "altogether" and "all together" is understandable because the terms are close in meaning.

Altogether

The adverb "altogether" means wholly, to the full extent, or with everything considered.

Examples of "altogether" in sentences:

• I left him altogether convinced that the project will end on time.
• Altogether, Mark earns more than his cousin.

All Together

The term "all together" describes when a group acts or is acted upon collectively. (Of note, there can be other words between "all" and "together.")

Examples of "all together" in sentences:

• I want you to sing all together.
(I want you all to sing together.)
• The soldiers stood all together waiting for the plane.
(The soldiers all stood together waiting for the plane.)
• I would like to see you all together.
(I would like to see all of you together.)

Top Tip

If you can restructure your sentence to put word(s) between "all" and "together," then you need "all together" not "altogether."

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