12 MARCH 1965, Page 16

Quite Alnght?

SIR,—Your correspondent S. Percival objects to the use of 'alright' for 'all right.' Regrettable though it may seem, the Shorter Oxford Dictionary (1959 edition) acknowledges that 'alright' is 'a frequent spelling of "all right": Webster's (admittedly American) Third New International Dictionary (1961) goes further and records that 'alright' is 'in reputable use although "all right" is more common.' Champions of 'alright' can, incidentally, claim that, far from being a vulgar upstart, it can trace its de- scent from the Middle English 'alright.' S. GODMAN