Let me make it simple (not simplistic). Alright is never right except when mentioning The Kids Are Alright, a long-ago album from The Who. I’d show the album cover except it’s a copyright infringement.
My American Heritage dictionary, which I prefer above all others, has a usage note at all right. Here goes:
“All right, usually pronounced as if it were a single word, probably should have followed [since when is it imperative? It does what it will do.] the orthographic [the study of spelling] development as already and altogether. But [starting a sentence with but! I love this dictionary, and it’s killing me.] despite its use by a number of reputable [do the Stones count as reputable?] authors, the spelling alright has never been accepted as a standard variant [means it’s OK to spell it that way].
And another thing! Sometimes already and altogether are spelled all ready and all together because they mean different things. Already means at a certain point in time. All ready means everyone is prepared. For example, Are we all ready? Altogether has three meanings: 1. entirely; 2. everything included; 3. with everything considered. All together means a group acting in unison. For example, if we’re all together, we can go.
So there!
Well, I suppose if you’re saying alrighty, it’s OK to spell it as one word with one l. Do you really want to say alrighty?
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