W

waitlist (n.), wait-list (v.)

wake-up call

walk up (v.), walk-up (n. and adj.)

Washington, D.C.

• Use state of Washington or Washington state to refer to the state.
• Do not abbreviate Washington as Wash.  

war

• Capitalize as part of the official name: Gulf War, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Cold War.

warlike

warlord

wartime

washed-up (adj.)

web

• Short form of World Wide Web. Lowercase. 
• Also webpage and webfeed.

web-based

• Hyphenate.

website

• Also, webcam, webcast and webmaster.
• When writing websites, remove http:// if the website begins with www: www.aucegypt.edu.
• If the website doesn't begin with www, then add http://: http://caps.aucegypt.edu, http://catalog.aucegypt.edu.
• Capitalize proper names of websites, but do not italicize.

weekend

weeklong

weights

• Use figures: The baby weighed 3.5 kilograms.

WEL

• Stands for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program. 
• If space is limited, use Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program. 

West, west

• See directions.

well

• Hyphenate as part of a compound modifier: She is a well-known singer.

well-to-do

well-wishers

whereabouts

• Takes a singular or plural verb. His whereabouts is unknown. His whereabouts are unknown.

wherever

who, whom

• Who is used for references to human beings and animals. It is always the subject of a sentence: The student who won the award graduated last year. Who is at the door?
• Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition: The student to whom the award was granted graduated last year. Whom do you wish to meet?

whistleblower

white-collar (adj.)

who’s, whose

• Who’s is a contraction for who is. Whose is a possessive noun: Whose book is this?  

wholehearted

-wide

• No hyphen. Some examples: campuswide, citywide, nationwide, countrywide, worldwide, industrywide. But hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: campus-wide event.

wide-

• Usually hyphenated. Some examples: wide-angle, wide-eyed. Exception: widespread.

widths

• See dimensions.

WiFi

• Acceptable in all references for wireless networking. 

wiki

WikiLeaks

Wikipedia

• Should not be used as a primary source for information.
• See Social Media Guidelines.

wildlife

will

• See shall, will and subjunctive mood.

wind up (v.), windup (n. and adj.)

wintertime

wiretap, wiretapper (n.); wiretap, wiretapped, wiretapping (v.)

-wise

• No hyphen when it means in the direction of (clockwise) or with regard to (otherwise).

WMD

• Weapons of mass destruction. Use WMD on second reference.

Women, female

• Women is a noun; female is an adjective. Correct: female entrepreneurs; Incorrect: women entrepreneurs.

word-of-mouth (n. and adj.)

word processing (adj.)

workbook, workday, workforce, workhorse, workout, workplace, workstation, workweek

workers’ compensation

• Use the plural possessive.

working class (n.), working-class (adj.)

World Bank

• Acceptable in all references for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

World Health Organization

• Use WHO on second reference.

World War I, World War II

worldwide

worn-out

would

• See should, would.