AP Styebook: 'Web site' is now 'website'

Language changes are always interesting, and the AP Stylebook (print/online) has announced two changes to become the rule on May 15.

Finally, we can now write "website" instead of "Web site," according to the copy editor's bible:

Tracing the Tribe has been doing this for a long time. Now I don't need to feel so guilty about it.

However, Internet remains cap-I, Web remains cap-W, and e-mail still has a hyphen, according to recent AP Online questions.

Another change, also adopted long ago by Tracing the Tribe to prevent confusion among international readers - is to spell out the names of US states and also to write Canada instead of the province after major cities. This is the AP announcement:

AP CHANGING STYLE ON STATE ABBREVIATIONS

The Associated Press is changing its style on state abbreviations and Canadian cities to create a consistent and universal style for international and domestic use. Starting May 15, the proper style will be to spell out the names of U.S. states in all stories and datelines where a city is followed by a state name. SACRAMENTO, Calif., for example, will become SACRAMENTO, California. We also will drop the practice of including names of Canadian provinces in datelines. We will instead use Canada. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, for example, will become VANCOUVER, Canada.

Changes become the rule on May 15, for those who do not already follow the new style.

Now, if there were only one official spelling for Chanukah-Hannuka-Hanukah-Channuka, etc.

Maybe that will come next.