Apart, one word, means separated by a distance: they live miles apart. A part, two words, means a piece of something: she wants to be a part of the team. If the sentence still works when you drop the "a", write two words.
English has some mean tricks up its sleeve, especially for non-native speakers. Words that sound alike but are written differently cause a lot of confusion in writing, and it gets even worse when they are also spelled almost the same. Apart and a part are such a pair: they sound alike, look alike, and are often confused. This article explains the difference.
Apart vs. a part
In speech, the two are almost impossible to tell apart. They sound so similar that, unless you pay close attention to your pronunciation, they come out exactly the same. The difference in meaning is striking, though, so it is important to get them right when you write.
Here is a closer look at both.
Apart
Apart is an adverb. It means that two or more things or people are separated by a distance, whether in space or in time. Look at these examples:
- After he moved to Canada, they were miles apart.
- I didn't break it. It just fell apart when I touched it.
Apart can also be part of a preposition. Together with from, it forms apart from, which means besides or with the exception of. For example:
- Apart from her runny nose, she felt fine.
- Everyone was loud and busy, apart from John, who took some time to think in silence.
A part
A part, on the other hand, consists of two words. "A" is an article, and part is a noun that means a piece or a segment of something bigger, or a role. Have a look at these examples:
- Jenna decided to be a part of this project.
- The wheel is a part of the bike that wears out quickly.
- He had a part in the school play.
Sometimes the article can be dropped. In fixed phrases like be part of, both forms are correct, so the first example could also look like this:
- Jenna decided to be part of this project.
When an adjective describes part, however, the article has to stay, as these examples show:
- Ben could only understand small part of what she was saying. (wrong)
- Ben could only understand a small part of what she was saying. (correct)
How to remember the difference
Apart from the difference in meaning, there are two simple ways to remember when to use apart and when a part.
1. Look at the preposition
The word that follows often tells you which form to use. Apart is often followed by from, while a part is often followed by of.
- They should never be apart from each other.
- He could become a part of the team.
2. Drop the "a"
In most cases, you can also find the right form by dropping the "a". If the sentence still makes sense with part alone, two words, a part, are right. If the sentence no longer makes sense, use apart.
- I'm proud to be a part of the team. (correct)
- I'm proud to be part of the team. (still makes sense, so a part is right)
Compare:
- And everything fell apart afterwards. (correct)
- And everything fell part afterwards. (makes no sense, so apart is right)
The same one-word or two-word question comes up with everyday and every day and with a while and awhile. Since apart and a part are both real English, a word-by-word check finds nothing wrong with either. The AI Spell Checker reads the whole sentence, so it can spot the one that does not fit.