Follow Up or FollowUp: What’s the Difference? and Examples

Is it follow up or follow-up? Both spellings are correct, but they serve different grammatical purposes. The difference depends on how you use the expression in a sentence. Sometimes, you need two separate words, while other times, a hyphen connects them.

In American English, follow up is generally used as a verb, meaning to take additional action, check on something, or continue a previous conversation. Follow-up is a hyphenated noun or adjective that describes an additional action, communication, appointment, or step.

For example, you might write, “I will follow up with the client tomorrow.” However, when describing the next communication, you would write, “I will send a follow-up email tomorrow.” Understanding this distinction helps you avoid common grammar mistakes in professional emails, business communication, academic writing, and everyday conversations.

This guide explains the difference between follow up and follow-up, with practical examples, comparison tables, common mistakes, and a short grammar quiz.

📌 Follow Up or Follow-Up: What’s the Main Difference?

The main difference between follow up and follow-up is their grammatical function. The two-word form usually works as a verb, while the hyphenated form works as a noun or adjective.

Form	Part of Speech	Meaning	Example
Follow up	Verb	To take additional action or continue something	I will follow up with the customer.
Follow-up	Noun	An additional action or communication	The follow-up was helpful.
Follow-up	Adjective	Describing something that comes afterward	We scheduled a follow-up meeting.

Easy rule to remember:

• Follow up: Use it when someone performs an action.
• Follow-up: Use it when describing an additional action, event, or communication.

For example:

• I need to follow up with my manager.
• I need to send a follow-up email.

📖 What Does Follow Up Mean?

Follow up is a phrasal verb that means to take additional action after an earlier conversation, event, request, or activity. It often involves checking progress, requesting an update, confirming information, or continuing communication.

People commonly use this expression in workplaces, customer service, healthcare, education, and everyday situations.

Examples:

• I will follow up with the supplier next week.
• Please follow up on your application.
• The manager promised to follow up with the team.
• We should follow up after the interview.
• She called to follow up on her earlier request.
• The doctor asked me to follow up after two weeks.
• I need to follow up with the customer about the payment.

In each sentence, follow up describes an action that someone needs to perform.

🔍 Follow Up as a Verb

When follow up functions as a verb, it often appears after a subject and may be followed by a preposition such as with, on, or about.

Expression	Meaning	Example
Follow up with	Contact someone again	I will follow up with the manager.
Follow up on	Check or investigate something	She followed up on the complaint.
Follow up about	Continue a discussion about something	He followed up about the job offer.
Follow up after	Take action after an event	We followed up after the meeting.

Notice that the words remain separate when the expression functions as a verb.

📝 What Does Follow-Up Mean?

Follow-up is a hyphenated form that works as a noun or adjective. It describes something that happens after an earlier event or action.

As a noun, it refers to an additional communication, appointment, investigation, or action. As an adjective, it describes something designed to continue or check on an earlier activity.

Examples as a noun:

• The follow-up was scheduled for Monday.
• We received a follow-up from the hiring manager.
• Her follow-up helped resolve the issue.
• The doctor recommended a follow-up.
• The company completed a follow-up after the complaint.

Examples as an adjective:

• I received a follow-up email.
• We arranged a follow-up meeting.
• The patient needs a follow-up appointment.
• The team prepared a follow-up report.
• She requested a follow-up interview.

The hyphen makes it clear that follow-up functions as one grammatical unit.

⚖️ Follow Up vs. Follow-Up: Comparison Table

This table highlights the differences in spelling, grammar, and usage.

Feature	Follow Up	Follow-Up
Spelling	Two separate words	Hyphenated
Grammar	Verb	Noun or adjective
Main purpose	Describes an action	Describes an additional action or thing
Common use	Contacting or checking again	Emails, meetings, appointments, reports
Example	I will follow up tomorrow.	I sent a follow-up email.
Professional writing	Correct	Correct
American English	Standard	Standard

The important thing is to identify whether you are describing an action or naming something that happens afterward.

💼 When Should You Use Follow Up?

Use follow up as two separate words when you want to describe an action that continues an earlier conversation, request, or activity.

Here are common situations where this form works naturally.

📧 Following Up on an Email

Use follow up when contacting someone again about a previous message.

Examples:

• I will follow up on your email tomorrow.
• She followed up with the client about the proposal.
• Please follow up if you do not receive a response.
• He plans to follow up with the hiring manager.
• We should follow up on the unanswered messages.

🏢 Following Up at Work

In professional settings, employees and managers often follow up on assignments, projects, requests, and decisions.

Examples:

• The supervisor will follow up with the department.
• I need to follow up on the outstanding tasks.
• Please follow up with the supplier before Friday.
• The team followed up on the project’s progress.
• We will follow up after reviewing the results.

🩺 Following Up on Healthcare Matters

Healthcare professionals use follow up when discussing additional checks or communication after an appointment or treatment.

Examples:

• The doctor asked me to follow up next month.
• Patients should follow up if their symptoms continue.
• I need to follow up with my healthcare provider.
• The clinic will follow up after the examination.

✉️ When Should You Use Follow-Up?

Use follow-up when the expression functions as a noun or adjective.

Follow-Up as a Noun

A noun names an additional action, communication, or appointment.

Examples:

• The follow-up was completed yesterday.
• We are waiting for a follow-up from the client.
• The doctor recommended a follow-up.
• Her follow-up answered all our questions.
• The follow-up took place after the initial interview.

Follow-Up as an Adjective

An adjective describes a noun that relates to a later action or communication.

Examples:

• I sent a follow-up message.
• The company arranged a follow-up meeting.
• She received a follow-up call.
• The manager requested a follow-up report.
• We scheduled a follow-up appointment.
• The researcher conducted a follow-up study.

In these examples, follow-up describes the type of message, meeting, call, report, appointment, or study.

📱 Follow-Up Email or Follow Up Email?

The correct spelling is follow-up email because the hyphenated expression functions as an adjective describing the noun email.

Incorrect	Correct
Follow up email	Follow-up email
Follow up meeting	Follow-up meeting
Follow up appointment	Follow-up appointment
Follow up report	Follow-up report
Follow up call	Follow-up call
Follow up interview	Follow-up interview

However, when the expression functions as a verb, keep the words separate.

• Correct: I will follow up by email.
• Correct: I will send a follow-up email.

The first sentence describes an action, while the second names a type of email.

🗓️ Follow-Up Meeting or Follow Up Meeting?

When describing a meeting that takes place after an earlier discussion, use follow-up meeting.

Correct: We scheduled a follow-up meeting for Thursday.

Incorrect: We scheduled a follow up meeting for Thursday.

But when describing the action of continuing communication after a meeting, write:

Correct: I will follow up after the meeting.

This distinction applies to other similar expressions, including follow-up appointments, follow-up calls, and follow-up discussions.

🔄 Follow Up vs. Follow Through

Although these expressions look similar, they have different meanings.

Expression	Meaning	Example
Follow up	Take additional action or check on something	I will follow up on the request.
Follow through	Complete an action or fulfill a commitment	She followed through on her promise.

Follow up means continuing communication or taking another step.

Follow through means carrying out something you promised or intended to do.

Examples:

• The manager will follow up with the employee.
• The manager will follow through on the improvement plan.

Both expressions are useful in professional writing, but they are not interchangeable.

🇺🇸 Follow Up or Follow-Up in American English

Both forms are standard in American English, but their grammatical roles determine which spelling you should choose.

American English commonly uses:

• Follow up with someone.
• Follow up on a request.
• Send a follow-up email.
• Schedule a follow-up meeting.
• Arrange a follow-up appointment.

These conventions also appear in professional emails, business reports, academic documents, and everyday communication.

If you want to write clearly for a US audience, remember to use the two-word form as a verb and the hyphenated form as a noun or adjective.

✍️ Follow Up or Follow-Up: Examples in Sentences

The following examples demonstrate how both forms work in different situations.

Sentence	Correct Form	Explanation
I will follow up with the customer.	Follow up	Verb describing an action.
She sent a follow-up email.	Follow-up	Adjective describing email.
The follow-up was successful.	Follow-up	Noun naming an additional action.
Please follow up on the application.	Follow up	Verb describing continued action.
We scheduled a follow-up meeting.	Follow-up	Adjective describing meeting.
He needs to follow up tomorrow.	Follow up	Verb describing future action.
The doctor recommended a follow-up.	Follow-up	Noun describing an additional appointment or check.
I received a follow-up call.	Follow-up	Adjective describing call.
They will follow up after the interview.	Follow up	Verb describing an action.
The follow-up report is ready.	Follow-up	Adjective describing report.

🚫 Common Mistakes When Using Follow Up and Follow-Up

Even though the difference is simple, writers often use the wrong form in emails, articles, and professional documents.

Mistake 1: Writing Follow Up Email Without a Hyphen

When follow-up describes an email, it functions as an adjective and needs a hyphen.

Incorrect: I sent a follow up email.

Correct: I sent a follow-up email.

Mistake 2: Using Follow-Up as a Verb

The hyphenated form should not normally be used as a verb.

Incorrect: I will follow-up with the client.

Correct: I will follow up with the client.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the Hyphen in Follow-Up Meeting

When describing a meeting that continues an earlier discussion, use the hyphenated adjective.

Incorrect: We scheduled a follow up meeting.

Correct: We scheduled a follow-up meeting.

Mistake 4: Confusing Follow Up With Follow Through

These expressions describe different actions.

Incorrect: I will follow through with the customer tomorrow. (If you mean contact the customer again.)

Correct: I will follow up with the customer tomorrow.

Use follow through when you mean completing a promise, responsibility, or planned action.

Mistake 5: Using Inconsistent Spellings

Choose the form according to its grammatical function throughout your writing.

• Verb: Follow up with the team.
• Noun: The follow-up was successful.
• Adjective: A follow-up report.

Consistency makes professional writing easier to read and understand.

🧠 An Easy Trick to Remember Follow Up or Follow-Up

Use this simple memory trick:

Follow up = Action

Follow-up = Thing or description

Ask yourself whether the sentence describes someone doing something or identifies an additional activity.

For example:

• I need to follow up with my teacher. (Action)
• I need a follow-up appointment. (Adjective)
• The follow-up was helpful. (Noun)

If you remember these three patterns, you can choose the correct spelling in most situations.

🧪 Follow Up or Follow-Up: Practice Quiz

Test your understanding by choosing the correct form for each sentence.

1. I need to ___ with the manager tomorrow.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

2. She sent a ___ email after the interview.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

3. The doctor scheduled a ___ appointment.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

4. Please ___ on the customer’s request.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

5. The ___ was completed last week.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

6. We should ___ with the supplier before Friday.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

7. He received a ___ call from the company.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

8. The team plans to ___ after the presentation.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

9. The manager requested a ___ report.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

10. I will ___ with you next week.

A. follow up
B. follow-up

Answer Key

Question	Correct Answer	Explanation
1	A — follow up	It functions as a verb.
2	B — follow-up	It describes the email.
3	B — follow-up	It describes the appointment.
4	A — follow up	It describes an action.
5	B — follow-up	It functions as a noun.
6	A — follow up	It functions as a verb.
7	B — follow-up	It describes the call.
8	A — follow up	It describes an action.
9	B — follow-up	It describes the report.
10	A — follow up	It functions as a verb.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions About Follow Up or Follow-Up

Is follow up one word or two?

Follow up is written as two separate words when it functions as a verb. For example, “I will follow up tomorrow.” When used as a noun or adjective, it is generally written with a hyphen: follow-up.

Is follow-up hyphenated?

Yes. The noun and adjective forms are generally hyphenated in standard American English.

Examples include follow-up email, follow-up meeting, and the follow-up was successful.

Is it follow-up email or follow up email?

Follow-up email is the standard spelling because the expression acts as an adjective describing the email.

Example: I sent a follow-up email to the hiring manager.

Is it follow up with or follow-up with?

Use follow up with because the expression functions as a verb.

Correct: I will follow up with the customer.

Incorrect: I will follow-up with the customer.

Is follow up a verb?

Yes. Follow up is a phrasal verb meaning to take additional action, contact someone again, or check on something.

Example: She will follow up on the request tomorrow.

Is follow-up a noun?

Yes. Follow-up can function as a noun referring to an additional action, communication, or appointment.

Example: The follow-up was scheduled for next week.

Is follow-up an adjective?

Yes. It can describe something that happens after an earlier event or activity.

Example: We arranged a follow-up meeting with the client.

Is followup one word?

In standard edited American English, follow-up is generally written with a hyphen as a noun or adjective, while follow up is written as two words as a verb. The unhyphenated one-word form followup is generally not the preferred spelling.

What is the plural of follow-up?

The plural noun is follow-ups.

Example: The doctor scheduled two follow-ups to monitor the patient’s progress.

What is the difference between follow-up and follow-through?

Follow-up refers to an additional action or communication after something has happened. Follow-through refers to completing a commitment, plan, or intended action.

Example: “The manager sent a follow-up email” describes additional communication. “The manager showed excellent follow-through” describes completing a commitment.

✅ Conclusion

The difference between follow up and follow-up comes down to grammar. Use follow up as a verb when describing an action, such as contacting someone again, checking on a request, or continuing a discussion. Use follow-up as a noun or adjective when referring to an additional communication, appointment, meeting, or activity.

For example, write “I will follow up with the client” when describing an action. However, write “I will send a follow-up email” when describing the type of email.

Both forms are correct in American English when used in the appropriate grammatical context. Remember the simple rule: follow up is an action, while follow-up names or describes something that comes afterward. Applying this distinction will help you write more clearly and professionally.