It’s been a long day, and you’re ready to hit the hay. You say goodnight to your partner and head off to bed. But wait – did you say good night or goodnight?
Believe it or not, there is a grammatical difference between the two! In this post, we will discuss the correct usage of good night and goodnight and why it matters.
What is the difference between goodnight and good night?
When we are ready to go to bed, we say, “Good night!” Good night is an interjection. An interjection is a word that shows feeling or emotion. In this case, “good night” is used to wish someone good luck in their sleep.
Good night is a phrase used as an exclamation to wish someone good luck in their sleep. Example sentences with good night.
1. “Good night, Lucy!”
2. “Have a good night!”
As an adjective, “goodnight” means “of or relating to the night.”
Example sentence with Goodnight (Adjective)
1. Lily sent a goodnight text to her crush.
While not featured in most dictionaries, the Collins US Dictionary offers “good-night” as a noun. This might be an alternate spelling, but it doesn’t seem to be widely in use.