Is Healthcare One Word or Two? Healthcare vs. Health Care Explained
Healthcare can be written as one word, but health care as two words is also correct. Both forms refer to medical services, treatment, and the systems that support people’s health.
The spelling you should use depends mainly on the dictionary or style guide you follow. Some sources prefer healthcare, while others continue to use health care.
Are Healthcare and Health Care Both Correct?
Yes. Healthcare and health care are both established spellings.
The one-word form can be used as a noun:
- Healthcare is becoming more expensive.
- She has worked in healthcare for ten years.
It can also describe something related to medical services:
- Healthcare workers attended the conference.
- The company develops healthcare software.
The two-word form works in the same types of sentences:
- Everyone should have access to affordable health care.
- The government is reviewing its health care policy.
Using health care is not an error. It remains the main spelling in some dictionaries and is widely used by hospitals, universities, government agencies, and other organizations.
Is There a Difference Between Healthcare and Health Care?
There is no universally accepted difference in meaning between healthcare and health care. In most writing, they are simply two spellings of the same general term.
Some organizations create their own distinction. They may use health care for treatment given to an individual and healthcare for the wider industry or system. For example:
- The patient received excellent health care.
- She works in the healthcare industry.
This distinction may be useful as a house style, but it is not a standard grammar rule. Unless your employer or publisher follows such a system, you do not need to give the two spellings separate meanings.
What Do Dictionaries and Style Guides Use?
Major references do not all prefer the same form.
| Source | Preferred or accepted spelling |
|---|---|
| AP Stylebook | Healthcare |
| Merriam-Webster | Health care |
| Cambridge Dictionary | Healthcare and health care |
In April 2026, the AP Stylebook changed its guidance and began recommending healthcare as one word. Writers following current AP style should therefore use forms such as healthcare system, healthcare provider, and healthcare costs.
Merriam-Webster lists health care as two words in its main entry. Cambridge has entries for both healthcare and health care.
These differences do not mean that one source is right and the others are wrong. Compound words often appear in open, hyphenated, and closed forms while their spelling develops over time.
Should Health Care Be Hyphenated?
The hyphenated form health-care sometimes appears before another noun:
- health-care costs
- health-care professionals
- health-care policy
Merriam-Webster notes that health care is sometimes hyphenated when it comes before another noun. However, the hyphen is not required by every style.
If you use healthcare as one word, do not add a hyphen:
- healthcare costs
- healthcare professionals
- healthcare policy
Writers using the two-word form may encounter either health care costs or health-care costs. Follow the style guide required for your document and remain consistent.
Which Spelling Should You Use?
Use healthcare when you are following current AP style or writing for an organization that prefers the one-word form.
Use health care when it is required by your school, employer, publisher, or chosen dictionary.
If no style has been specified, either spelling is acceptable. Choose the form that best suits your audience and use it throughout the document.
For example, avoid writing healthcare system in one paragraph and health care system in the next. Although both forms are correct, switching between them can look like an editing mistake.
