What Is Correct: Home Page or Homepage?

It’s a simple, two-word, or one-word question that has been debated in tech and publishing for years. Do you direct users to your "home page" or your "homepage"?

The short answer: For a technical and modern audience, "homepage" (one word) is the correct and preferred spelling.

The longer answer is a classic example of how language evolves, especially in tech.

The Evolution of a Word

Like many tech terms, "homepage" started its life as two separate words.

1. "Home page" (two words): This was the original form. It’s a simple, descriptive noun phrase. It describes a "page" that is "home." This is similar to "contact page" or "product page." For a long time, this was the standard in formal writing and journalism.
2. "Homepage" (one word): This is a compound word. In English, when two words are used together so frequently to describe a single, specific concept, they eventually merge.
   • Web site became web-site, which became website.
   • E-mail became email.
   • Home page became homepage.

Today, "homepage" is recognized as a single concept—the main entry point or principal page of a website. Because it represents one thing, the single-word spelling has become the standard in the tech industry.

What the Style Guides Say: Home page or Homepage?

This is where the confusion comes from. Different industries have different rules.

• AP Style (Journalism): The Associated Press stylebook, used by most journalists, was a long-time holdout. For years, they insisted on "Web site" and "home page." While they finally gave in to "website," they still officially prefer "home page" (two words). This is why you'll still see it in major news articles.
• Tech Style Guides (Microsoft, Google, Apple): The tech world moves faster. Style guides from major tech companies like Microsoft and Google overwhelmingly prefer the closed, one-word "homepage". It’s simpler, more modern, and reflects how developers and users actually think of it.
• Common Usage: In the real world, "homepage" is the clear winner. It's the term developers use when naming components (Homepage.js), CSS classes (.homepage-header), and API routes (/homepage).

The Developer's Verdict

As a developer or technical writer, you should use "homepage" (one word).

Here’s why:

1. It's a Single Concept: In your code, you treat the homepage as one "thing." A variable would be homepageUrl, not homePageUrl (which might imply "home" and "page" are separate concepts).
2. It's Unambiguous: It’s clear, concise, and modern.
3. It's the Industry Standard: Using "homepage" shows you are in line with modern tech and web conventions. Using "home page" can make your writing feel slightly dated, like writing "e-mail" with a hyphen.

See also: List of Acronyms in Web Development

Conclusion: While "home page" (two words) isn't wrong (it's still preferred in some journalistic circles), "homepage" (one word) is the correct, modern standard for developers, tech companies, and web users.