cochair vs co-chair

[xfq]

per https://www.w3.org/guide/manual-of-style/#Spelling W3C uses Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary.

I checked several major dictionaries about cochair vs co-chair.

Merriam-Webster lists "cochair" as the primary entry, and uses the unhyphenated form consistently.
Cambridge Dictionary primarily uses "co-chair" but also accepts "cochair" in examples.
Dictionary.com, Collins English Dictionary, and Wiktionary support both.

Should we update https://www.w3.org/guide/chair/role.html to change "co-chair" to "cochair"?

[nigelmegitt]

"cochair" looks wrong to me as a native (British) English speaker. I'd either go with just "Chair" or "co-chair".

[koalie]

I prefer we use “co-chair” per our long term habit, regardless of what is listed in the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary.

[TallTed]

I feel it's worth noting that most dictionaries are not prescriptive of present/future usage, but descriptive of present/past usage. (And I'm in favor of the hyphenated co-chair.)

[xfq]

I have no objection to this decision, but I think if we make any exceptions to our own Manual of Style, those exceptions should be documented.