Altogether and all together are both correct, but they do different grammatical jobs. Use altogether to mean “completely,” “in total,” or “on the whole”; use all together when people or things are in one group, place, or coordinated action. The spelling depends on the intended meaning, not on pronunciation.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Altogether is one word and functions as an adverb.
- Altogether can mean “completely,” “in total,” or “on the whole.”
- All together is a two-word phrase meaning “as a group” or “at the same time.”
- Use altogether for a financial, numerical, or combined total.
- Use all together when separate people or objects are gathered or act simultaneously.
- The substitution test is useful: try completely for altogether and as a group or at the same time for all together.
What Is the Difference Between Altogether and All Together?
The central difference is meaning: altogether describes totality, while all together describes togetherness. In “The repairs cost $800 altogether,” the word refers to the total amount. In “The children sat all together,” the phrase describes the children as a group in one arrangement.
| Expression | Grammar | Main meaning | Typical replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| altogether | One-word adverb | Completely | completely |
| altogether | One-word adverb | In total | in total |
| altogether | One-word adverb | On the whole | overall |
| all together | Two-word phrase | In one group | as a group |
| all together | Two-word phrase | At the same time | simultaneously |
| all together | Two-word phrase | In one place | collectively in one place |
The two forms are not interchangeable. Replacing one with the other can change a sentence from a statement about quantity to a statement about physical arrangement.
Why does the spelling change the meaning?
The single word altogether has developed into an adverb with an abstract meaning. The separate words all together retain their ordinary meanings: all identifies every member, and together describes their shared position or action.
That distinction explains why “We spent $200 altogether” is correct even when the money was never physically placed together. The sentence concerns the sum, not the location of the cash.
What Does Altogether Mean?
Altogether means “completely,” “in total,” or “on the whole.” The intended sense depends on what the adverb modifies: an adjective usually receives the “completely” meaning, a number or cost receives the “in total” meaning, and a sentence-level judgment often receives the “on the whole” meaning.
Altogether meaning completely
Use altogether before an adjective or participle when you mean “entirely” or “completely.”
- The proposal is altogether impractical.
- The explanation was altogether convincing.
- The two situations are altogether different.
- The outcome was altogether unexpected.
- Her approach is altogether reasonable.
In these examples, all together would not work because no group is being gathered and no coordinated action is taking place. The sentence evaluates a condition or quality.
A useful test is to replace altogether with completely:
- The proposal is completely impractical.
- The outcome was completely unexpected.
If the replacement preserves the intended meaning, altogether is usually the correct form.
Altogether meaning in total
Use altogether for an aggregate amount, count, distance, duration, or result.
- The four invoices total $1,260 altogether.
- We invited 48 guests altogether.
- The journey takes six hours altogether.
- The three repairs cost $940 altogether.
- The boxes weigh 75 kilograms altogether.
Here, altogether means that separate values have been combined mathematically or conceptually. It does not matter whether the objects are stored in one location.
| Sentence | Intended meaning | Correct form |
|---|---|---|
| The tickets cost $180 ___ | Combined price | altogether |
| The children stood ___ for the photograph | One group | all together |
| The evidence was ___ persuasive | Completely persuasive | altogether |
| The bells rang ___ at noon | At the same time | all together |
| The shipment contained 240 units ___ | Total number | altogether |
Altogether meaning on the whole
At the beginning or end of a sentence, altogether can summarize an experience, decision, or result. In this use, it is close to overall or all things considered.
- Altogether, the conference was well organized.
- The renovation was expensive but successful altogether.
- Altogether, the evidence supports the original conclusion.
- The product has several flaws, but it is reliable altogether.
This sense evaluates the complete situation rather than describing people or objects being physically together.
What Does All Together Mean?
All together means that every relevant person or thing is together as a group, in one place, or engaged in an action at the same time. The phrase is appropriate when the sentence focuses on collective arrangement or synchronized behavior rather than a total amount.
All together meaning in one group
Use all together when people or objects are gathered in a shared location or arrangement.
- The musicians stood all together near the stage.
- Keep the receipts all together in one envelope.
- The family sat all together at the long table.
- Put the clean towels all together on the upper shelf.
- The research samples must remain all together in the labeled tray.
The phrase can describe literal proximity, but proximity is not always required. A group connected by a shared activity can also be “all together,” especially in conversational English.
For maximum clarity in formal writing, use together or in one group when all adds no useful emphasis:
- The committee met together.
- The files are stored in one folder.
- The participants worked as a group.
All together meaning at the same time
Use all together when several people perform the same action simultaneously.
- Everyone answer all together.
- The choir began singing all together.
- Press the buttons all together.
- On the count of three, jump all together.
- The audience laughed all together at the final line.
In these examples, the important idea is synchronization. The phrase does not calculate a total and does not mean “completely.”
Can all together describe objects?
Yes. All together can describe objects that are grouped, stored, arranged, or handled collectively.
- The cables were tied all together.
- Place the ingredients all together before cooking.
- The tools arrived all together in one case.
- The colored cards were stacked all together.
- The components fit all together inside the container.
However, context can create ambiguity. “The parts cost $300 all together” is often understandable, but altogether is clearer because the sentence concerns a total price. Use all together only when the physical grouping itself matters.
How Can You Choose the Correct Form?
Choose altogether when the sentence expresses totality, completeness, or an overall judgment. Choose all together when the sentence expresses a group, shared location, or simultaneous action.
Use this four-step process:
- Identify the intended meaning. Ask whether the sentence concerns a total, a complete condition, or a group.
- Try “completely.” If “completely” fits, choose altogether.
- Try “in total” or “overall.” If either replacement fits, choose altogether.
- Try “as a group” or “at the same time.” If either replacement fits, choose all together.
| Draft sentence | Replacement test | Correct sentence |
|---|---|---|
| The plan was ___ absurd | completely absurd | The plan was altogether absurd |
| The bills came to $500 ___ | in total | The bills came to $500 altogether |
| The delegates sat ___ | as a group | The delegates sat all together |
| The dancers turned ___ | at the same time | The dancers turned all together |
| The decision was ___ defensible | overall or completely defensible | The decision was altogether defensible |
The tests are meaning tests, not mechanical grammar rules. A sentence may remain grammatical after substitution while losing its original emphasis, so read the complete sentence before deciding.
Does removing “all” prove that all together is correct?
No. Removing all is a helpful clue, but it is not conclusive. Compare these sentences:
- “The students worked together.” This is grammatical.
- “The students worked all together.” This emphasizes every student working collectively.
- “The project cost $2,000 together.” This is not the normal way to express the total.
The stronger test is whether as a group, in one place, or at the same time describes the intended meaning. If the sentence refers to a sum, use altogether, even if the separate items happen to be physically close.
Which Form Should You Use in Common Situations?
The correct choice depends on the relationship between the subject and the adverb. Totals and judgments take altogether; gatherings and coordinated actions take all together.
| Situation | Correct expression | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Total price | altogether | The equipment costs $2,400 altogether |
| Total headcount | altogether | Twelve people attended altogether |
| Overall judgment | altogether | Altogether, the trial was successful |
| Complete condition | altogether | The result was altogether unexpected |
| People in one place | all together | The team gathered all together |
| Objects in one container | all together | Store the parts all together |
| Simultaneous movement | all together | Lift the panel all together |
| Group performance | all together | The class read the sentence all together |
Altogether in academic and professional writing
Altogether is common in formal writing when authors summarize evidence or quantify results.
- The experiment produced 36 observations altogether.
- Altogether, the findings support the revised model.
- The proposed explanation is altogether inconsistent with the data.
- The five departments spent $4.8 million altogether.
In an academic conclusion, overall may sound more direct than sentence-initial altogether, but both can be grammatical. The choice is stylistic when the meaning is “on the whole.”
All together in instructions and logistics
All together is useful in directions involving people, equipment, or timed actions.
- Bring the documents all together to the meeting.
- The volunteers worked all together in the west hall.
- Move the table all together on my signal.
- Let us count all together before opening the boxes.
In formal instructions, a more precise alternative may be preferable:
- “Move the table simultaneously” focuses on timing.
- “Move the table as one unit” focuses on physical handling.
- “Bring all documents in one folder” focuses on organization.
What Are the Most Common Errors?
The most common error is using all together for a numerical total. The second is using altogether when a sentence describes people or objects gathered in one place.
| Incorrect or unclear sentence | Intended meaning | Recommended correction |
|---|---|---|
| The meal cost $90 all together | Total price | The meal cost $90 altogether |
| The players stood altogether | Gathered group | The players stood all together |
| We have 18 files all together | Total count | We have 18 files altogether |
| The singers performed altogether | Simultaneous group action | The singers performed all together |
| Altogether, place the samples in tray B | Grouping instruction | Place the samples all together in tray B |
Why “all together” is often wrong for money
A price is an abstract total, not a physical collection. Even if several bills are stacked in one wallet, “The purchase cost $90 altogether” is the clearest standard form because altogether means “in total.”
Use all together only if the sentence is genuinely about arrangement:
- Put all the coins all together in the dish.
- The coins are worth $90 altogether.
The same distinction applies to measurements, scores, quantities, and elapsed time.
Why “altogether” can be wrong for a group
A group can be complete without being physically together, which creates a subtle trap. “The entire team attended” and “The entire team sat all together” express different facts. The first concerns membership; the second concerns arrangement.
Compare:
- Altogether, seven engineers attended. This gives a total.
- The seven engineers sat all together. This describes location.
- The engineers were altogether unprepared. This means completely unprepared.
The surrounding noun and verb do not decide the spelling by themselves. The intended relationship does.
Is All Together More Informal Than Altogether?
Neither form is inherently informal. Altogether often appears more frequently in reports, analysis, and summaries because those genres discuss totals and overall judgments. All together appears naturally in conversation, classroom instructions, event planning, and descriptions of physical arrangements.
Register depends on the sentence, not the spelling:
- Formal: “The three categories contained 420 records altogether.”
- Formal: “The samples were stored all together in a sealed container.”
- Informal: “Let’s sing all together.”
- Formal alternative: “The participants should begin simultaneously.”
Writers should choose the form that communicates the intended relationship most precisely. Replacing all together with a more formal-looking altogether creates an error rather than a sophisticated style choice.
What Is the Difference Between Altogether and All in All?
Altogether and all in all can both summarize a situation, but they do not have identical grammar or tone. Altogether can also mean “completely” or “in total,” while all in all almost always means “considering everything.”
| Expression | Main function | Example | Typical position |
|---|---|---|---|
| altogether | Completely | The claim is altogether false | Before adjective |
| altogether | In total | The cost was $700 altogether | Sentence end |
| altogether | On the whole | Altogether, the plan worked | Beginning or end |
| all in all | Considering everything | All in all, the plan worked | Usually beginning |
| overall | General summary | Overall, the plan worked | Beginning or end |
Use all in all when you want a conversational summary:
- All in all, the move went smoothly.
- Altogether, the move required 14 boxes and two vans.
- The old arrangement was altogether unsuitable.
These sentences show why the expressions are related but not interchangeable in every context.
Expert Rules for Fast, Accurate Editing
Rule 1: Numbers almost always point to altogether
When a sentence contains a cost, count, score, distance, duration, or combined measurement, test altogether first.
- 25 participants altogether
- $1,500 altogether
- Nine hours altogether
- 80 points altogether
The exception occurs when the number itself is not the focus and the sentence instead describes a group arrangement.
Rule 2: “Together” can often move
If the sentence can be rewritten with all separated from together, the phrase probably has its literal group meaning:
- They were all together.
- They were all sitting together.
- The files were all stored together.
This movement test reveals the underlying parts of the phrase. It does not apply to altogether, which is a single adverb.
Rule 3: Do not use physical closeness to decide a total
A set of objects can be in one box and still require altogether when the sentence calculates its combined value.
- The instruments were packed all together.
- The instruments weigh 32 kilograms altogether.
The first sentence concerns arrangement. The second concerns measurement.
Rule 4: Sentence position provides a clue, not a guarantee
Sentence-initial Altogether, often introduces a summary, while sentence-final altogether often gives a total.
- Altogether, the response was positive.
- The response received 86 points altogether.
But position alone cannot decide every case. Meaning remains the final test.
Practice Examples With Answers
Choose altogether or all together in each sentence.
- The five payments amount to $1,100 ___.
- The students gathered ___ near the entrance.
- The explanation was ___ inadequate.
- The audience clapped ___ after the performance.
- We invited 64 people ___.
- Keep the cables ___ in this box.
- ___, the revised schedule is more practical.
- The three machines consume 14 kilowatts ___.
Answers:
- altogether, because it gives a total.
- all together, because the students form a group in one place.
- altogether, because it means completely inadequate.
- all together, because the audience clapped simultaneously.
- altogether, because it gives a total number.
- all together, because the cables should be grouped.
- Altogether, because the sentence summarizes the schedule.
- altogether, because it gives a combined measurement.
FAQ
Is “all together” ever correct for a total?
Yes, especially in casual speech, but altogether is clearer and more standard when the sentence means “in total.” Use “The repairs cost $600 altogether” for a combined price. Reserve “all together” for a group, shared location, or simultaneous action.
Is “altogether” always an adverb?
Yes, in its standard modern use, altogether is an adverb. It can modify an adjective, as in “altogether impossible,” a verb phrase, as in “disappeared altogether,” or an entire statement, as in “Altogether, the plan succeeded.”
Can “altogether” mean “at the same time”?
No. Altogether does not normally mean that multiple people act simultaneously. Use all together in “The dancers moved all together.” Use altogether in “The performance lasted two hours altogether,” where it means “in total.”
Which form belongs in “They were ___ different”?
Use altogether: “They were altogether different.” Here, altogether means “completely.” “They were all together different” would suggest that the people or things were together, and it does not express the intended adjective modification.
Should I write “all together” or “altogether” in a conclusion?
Use altogether when you mean “on the whole,” as in “Altogether, the evidence supports the proposal.” All in all and overall are also possible summary expressions. Use all together only if the conclusion describes a group acting or gathering.
What is the quickest memory trick?
Remember altogether as the one-word totality form: completely, in total, or overall. Remember all together as the phrase involving every member of a group: all the people together, all the files together, or everyone acting at the same time.
The Bottom Line
Use altogether for a complete condition, an overall judgment, or a combined total: “The project cost $4,000 altogether.” Use all together for people or objects gathered in one place or acting at the same time: “The project team met all together.” When deciding between altogether vs all together which is correct how to use both plus examples, test the sentence with “completely,” “in total,” or “as a group.”
