Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes
Q. If “e-mail” is spelled with the hyphen, should “voicemail” also be hyphenated? I’ve seen it as voice mail, voice-mail and voicemail. Which is correct? If it is not hyphenated, why is it treated differently from e-mail?
A. Why, why, why. Thank goodness there are rarely sensible reasons for these stylings, and people still need a style manual. Chicago uses Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary to arbitrate spelling; thus we write “e-mail” and “voice mail.” Get yourself a dictionary and you too can stop asking why.