Storytelling vs. Story-telling – Which is Correct?
Storytelling is the standard modern spelling for the practice of telling stories. “Story-telling” is a valid but less common hyphenated variant, often used for emphasis, legacy style, or when clarity is helpful. In most professional, academic, and digital writing, choose “storytelling.” Both forms describe the same activity and craft today.
For another easily confused pair, compare Story vs. Storey when checking narrative terminology and spelling.
Storytelling or Story-Telling – Which is Correct?
Storytelling is the preferred spelling in contemporary American English. Story-telling is not an outright error; it is an older or stylistic hyphenated form of the same compound word. Modern dictionaries and publishing conventions generally favor the closed spelling, storytelling, especially in business writing, education, journalism, marketing, and online content.
The hyphenated form may still appear when a writer wants to make the compound structure especially clear, follows an older house style, or is reproducing historical wording. However, using story-telling consistently can make writing look dated or inconsistent if the surrounding style uses closed compounds.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the “modern compound” test: when two familiar words combine to name one established activity, modern English often closes them into a single word. Just as storyline and storyteller are normally written without a hyphen, write storytelling as one word. Keep story-telling only when a particular style guide, quotation, or visual emphasis requires it.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| storytelling | Noun | The art or practice of communicating stories | Storytelling helps the museum connect visitors with local history. |
| story-telling | Noun | The same activity, written with a hyphen | The essay explores the tradition of oral story-telling. |
How to Use Storytelling
Storytelling is a noun that refers to the act, skill, method, or tradition of presenting events through a narrative. It can involve spoken performance, written language, visual media, theater, advertising, presentations, or digital content. The word works in both formal and casual contexts, although professional writing often uses it to describe communication strategy, cultural practice, or narrative technique.
Storytelling is usually treated as an uncountable concept when referring to the general craft. For example, writers commonly say “effective storytelling” rather than “an effective storytelling.” When referring to separate types or instances, phrases such as “storytelling techniques,” “storytelling traditions,” or “stories” are usually more natural.
Example 1: The documentary uses storytelling to make a complex scientific subject accessible.
Example 2: Her storytelling kept the audience engaged throughout the presentation.
Example 3: Many Indigenous cultures preserve history through oral storytelling.
What are the different forms of Storytelling?
Storytelling is primarily a noun and does not have irregular grammatical forms. It is commonly used as an uncountable noun when describing the general art or practice. The plural form storytellings is grammatically possible but uncommon; writers usually say storytelling traditions, storytelling methods, or acts of storytelling instead.
Related words include storyteller, meaning a person who tells stories, and storyteller’s or storytellers’ for possessive forms. The verb phrase is tell stories, while storytelling can also function as a noun modifier in phrases such as storytelling workshop and storytelling technique.
Etymology of the word Storytelling
Storytelling combines story with the present participle telling. Story developed from the Latin historia, meaning an account or history, through Old French and Middle English. Tell comes from an Old English word meaning to recount, relate, or count. The closed compound became increasingly common as English spelling conventions developed.
How to Use Story-Telling
Story-telling has the same meaning as storytelling, but the hyphen visibly connects the two parts of the compound. It may be appropriate in historical writing, quotations, publications that retain traditional spelling, or contexts where the writer wants to emphasize “telling” as an active process.
In current American English, the hyphenated form is less common than the closed form. It is best not to alternate randomly between storytelling and story-telling in the same document. Choose the form preferred by the relevant publisher, institution, or style guide and use it consistently.
Example 1: The article examines the role of oral story-telling in rural communities.
Example 2: The exhibition celebrates traditional story-telling through music and movement.
Example 3: The editor retained the original story-telling spelling in the historical quotation.
What are the different forms of Story-Telling?
Story-telling is a noun and generally follows the same grammatical pattern as storytelling. It is normally used as an uncountable noun when referring to the craft as a whole. The plural story-tellings is rare, so phrases such as story-telling traditions or story-telling practices are usually clearer.
The related noun story-teller is also sometimes written with a hyphen, although the closed form storyteller is more common today. The spelling of related compounds should follow the same style choice throughout a document.
Etymology of the word Story-Telling
Story-telling has the same linguistic origins as storytelling. The hyphen reflects an older method of joining compound words before many frequently used combinations became closed compounds. As the expression became familiar, publishers and dictionaries increasingly favored the single-word spelling.
Related Concepts
Understanding compound-word spelling and narrative language helps clarify why both forms exist while one is preferred in modern writing.
- Compound words: A compound word combines two or more words to create a single meaning. Compounds may be written as open phrases, hyphenated compounds, or closed words, and their spelling can change over time.
- Style guides: Style guides establish consistent rules for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and word usage. A publication may permit story-telling, but most current styles generally prefer storytelling.
- Compound nouns: A compound noun names a person, object, activity, or concept formed from multiple words. Storytelling functions as a compound noun referring to a narrative practice.
Examples from Media and Literature
The preferred spelling storytelling appears across literary criticism, film studies, education, marketing, and cultural writing.
- Literary criticism: Discussions of novels often examine how storytelling controls perspective, suspense, chronology, and character development.
- Film and television: Reviews may praise a series for its visual storytelling, nonlinear storytelling, or emotionally effective storytelling.
- Marketing: Brand campaigns frequently use storytelling to connect a product with a customer’s experiences, values, or aspirations.
- Education: Teachers use digital storytelling to help students explain research, document personal experiences, and present historical topics.
- Oral traditions: Folktales, myths, legends, and family histories demonstrate how storytelling can preserve cultural memory across generations.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. In contemporary professional writing, select the preferred form unless the context specifically calls for the hyphenated variant.
- The workshop teaches the fundamentals of ________ for business presentations. (storytelling / story-telling)
- The museum’s program focuses on traditional oral ________. (storytelling / story-telling)
- The historian preserved the ________ spelling found in the original nineteenth-century pamphlet. (storytelling / story-telling)
- Strong visual ________ can make a public-awareness campaign memorable. (storytelling / story-telling)
- The publisher’s house style requires ________ to be written as one word. (storytelling / story-telling)
Answer Key
- storytelling — This is the standard modern spelling in professional writing.
- storytelling — The closed form is preferred for the general practice.
- story-telling — The historical context explains the retained hyphen.
- storytelling — The closed form is standard in marketing and media language.
- storytelling — The sentence explicitly requires the single-word form.
Storytelling Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Narration | The act of relating events or presenting a narrative. |
| Narrative | An account of connected events, or the method used to present them. |
| Tale-telling | The act of telling tales or stories, often with an informal or traditional tone. |
| Recitation | The spoken delivery of a prepared text, account, or story. |
| Narrative craft | The techniques used to shape characters, events, structure, and meaning in a story. |
Story-Telling Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Storytelling | The standard modern spelling for the act or craft of telling stories. |
| Narration | The presentation of events or information as a connected account. |
| Tale-telling | The telling of tales, anecdotes, or traditional stories. |
| Recitation | The oral delivery of a story, passage, poem, or account. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is storytelling one word or two?
Storytelling is one word in standard contemporary American English. The open form story telling is uncommon when referring to the general activity.
Question 2: Is story-telling grammatically correct?
Yes. Story-telling is a valid hyphenated variant, although it is less common and may appear old-fashioned in modern professional writing. Use it when required by a house style or when preserving historical wording.
Question 3: Should I use storytelling or story-telling in a résumé or business document?
Use storytelling in most résumés, business documents, websites, presentations, and academic assignments. It is the most familiar and widely accepted modern spelling.
Conclusion
Storytelling is the preferred spelling for the art or practice of telling stories. Story-telling communicates the same meaning but is a less common hyphenated variant that may suit historical, stylistic, or house-style contexts. Pro Tip: In professional writing, choose storytelling unless a trusted style guide says otherwise, and use your chosen form consistently to protect your credibility.
