Ongoing vs. On-going
For the adjective meaning continuing to exist, develop, or happen, Cambridge lists “ongoing” as one word. This guide therefore uses the closed form as the default for ordinary modern prose while keeping house-style exceptions separate from the lexical rule.
Use “ongoing” as one word in ordinary prose: “an ongoing investigation.”
Key details
Further guidance
Boundary
A quoted historical spelling or organization-specific house style can be preserved without changing the default modern dictionary form.
Examples
Natural patterns include “ongoing investigation,” “ongoing process,” and “negotiations are ongoing.”
Form
Cambridge lists the adjective as “ongoing.”
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.
- Ongoing — English meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Dictionary record for ongoing as one word