Mock-up vs. Mock Up
“Mock-up” is a hyphenated noun for a model or preliminary layout, with closed “mockup” also documented. “Mock up” is the two-word phrasal verb for making such a model.
Use “mock-up” for the noun model or layout; Cambridge also records “mockup” as a noun variant. Use “mock up” as the verb meaning to make a model or representation.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| model, prototype, or preliminary layout as a noun | mock-up / mockup | Cambridge documents the hyphenated noun and the closed noun variant. |
| make a model or representation as a verb | mock up | Use the two-word phrasal verb. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Is the expression functioning as the verb meaning make a model or representation?
If yes: Use “mock up.”
If no: For the noun, “mock-up” is documented and “mockup” is also recorded as a noun variant.
Caveat: There are two documented noun spellings here, so do not reduce the choice to “hyphenated noun versus verb” without acknowledging “mockup” as a noun variant.
Examples
The designer showed a mock-up of the landing page.
The hyphenated form is a documented noun.
The team reviewed a digital mockup before development.
The closed noun is also documented as a variant.
They will mock up the new screen this afternoon.
The two-word form is the phrasal verb.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use the documented noun or modifier form when naming a thing, result, person, or concept; use the spaced form when the words function as a verb.
Fast Test
If the expression can take ordinary verb tense or inflection in the sentence, the spaced verb form is usually the relevant choice.
Variant Boundary
Cambridge records “mock-up” with “mockup” as a noun variant and separately records the phrasal verb “mock something up.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- MOCK SOMETHING UP — English meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Hyphenated noun “mock-up”, closed variant “mockup”, and phrasal verb “mock up”