Turnout vs. Turn Out
“Turnout” is a closed noun, commonly for attendance or voter participation. “Turn out” is a two-word phrasal verb with several meanings, including resulting in a particular way, appearing, and producing.
Use “turnout” as the noun for attendance, especially the number of people who attend or vote. Use “turn out” as the phrasal verb for resulting, appearing, attending, producing, or other verb senses.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| noun naming attendance or number attending/voting | turnout | Use the closed noun. |
| verb meaning result or develop in a particular way | turn out | Use the two-word phrasal verb. |
| other verbal senses such as attending or producing | turn out | Keep the phrasal verb open when it functions as a verb. |
Quick tests
Attendance-noun-or-verb test
Is the word naming attendance as a thing, or is it part of a verb phrase?
If yes: Use “turnout” for the attendance noun and “turn out” for the phrasal verb.
If no: Check the sentence’s grammatical role before choosing the spelling.
Caveat: “Turn out” has several documented verbal senses; the guide does not reduce the phrasal verb to a single meaning.
Examples
Voter turnout increased in the district.
“Turnout” is the noun naming participation.
The repairs turned out better than expected.
“Turn out” is a phrasal verb describing a result.
Thousands turned out for the parade.
The two-word phrasal verb is used for attendance as an action.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use the documented noun/adjective form for the thing, result, event, or modifier; use the spaced form when the expression functions as a verb or predicate.
Fast Test
Ask what job the expression is doing in the sentence. A noun/adjective form may be closed or hyphenated by dictionary convention; a verb or predicate normally keeps the words separate.
Variant Boundary
The noun is “turnout”; the phrasal verb is “turn out.”
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.
- Turnout — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Closed noun “turnout” for attendance, especially voter attendance
- Turn out — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Two-word phrasal verb “turn out” for resulting, appearing, producing, or switching out