Revised as of 23 January 2020
11 Oct 2022
If you look at under weigh and are considering using it, you must work in a doctor’s office or a clinic that counsels people with an eating disorder. Of course, it’s not a problem I suffer from, if anything, I over weigh. Or rather, I’m overweight. So even using under weigh isn’t accurate without its t.
Once you toss under weigh out the porthole, there’s not much more to say about under way or underway. Especially when taking into account that a number of publications and APA have phased out or are replacing under way with underway. It is, of course, your choice as to which you use. Just remember the writer’s (and the publisher’s) mantra: be consistent. Once you choose a spelling, stick to it. Add it to your computer’s autocorrect!
If you are writing a story that takes place before 2013, consider the historical accuracy of using under way. It’s those little details that help set the mood, the time, the setting.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end. Consider sharing this Word Confusion with friends by tweeting it.
| Under Way * | Underway | Under Weigh |
|---|---|---|
Golden Princess by IvarSnaaijer was transferred from en.wikipedia and is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — This cruise ship is under way out of the port at Los Angeles. |
USS Charles Ausburne, 23 March 1944, by Fred Weiss, US Navy, is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — This ship is underway. |
|
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Adverb and Predicate Adjective | Compound word
Adjective, attributive |
Used in error, see under way |
| Adverb and Adjective: Having started and making progress In motion (not at anchor or aground) Into motion from a standstill In progress [Nautical] Of a boat moving through the water |
Occurring, performed, or used while traveling or in motion | |
| Examples: | ||
| No time was lost in getting under way.
Preparations were under way. The season got under way with a bang. |
The underway voyage was interrupted.
A blogging war was underway on Goodreads. The voting was underway by 6 a.m. |
|
| NOTE: Under way is phasing out of use with a number of major publications switching back and forth between under way and underway.
If using the AP Stylebook or its preferred dictionary, Webster’s New World, underway is one word in all instances, effective May 21, 2013. |
||
| History of the Word: | ||
| 1720, as a nautical term, from the Dutch onderweg or the Middle Dutch onderwegen, literally meaning, under or among the ways. | 1735-45 saw the adjectival use of the adverbial phrase under way. | 1749 as a variation from folk etymology. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Under Way v Underway v Under Weigh
Apple Dictionary.com
Merriam-Webster: under way
“Underway vs Under Way.” Grammarist. n.d. Web.n.d. <http://grammarist.com/spelling/underway-under-way/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Vasco Odyssea is Ninthcloud676’s own work, which is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
