Southside or South side? (Helpful Examples)

Before writing about something being on the “south side,” it would help to know whether it’s one or two words. This article will talk you through all the language rules that you’ll need to be familiar with before understanding it.

Southside vs. South side

“Southside” and “south side” are both correct. We typically use the one-word spelling when we want to modify a noun in a sentence, though there are no specific rules that we follow here. “South side” is more common when we use it as a phrasal noun.

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “south side” appears to be more popular as two words. This shows that it’s the more likely choice for many people to use. It works well as a phrasal noun in most cases.

However, this graph also makes it seem like “southside” is never appropriate (considering it rarely gets used compared to “south side”). This is not the case, as we are allowed to group the words, mainly when they’re in an adjective form.

Unfortunately, the Cambridge Dictionary doesn’t give us any useful entries for either form. Instead, we can refer to The Oxford Dictionary to learn that both “south side” and “southside” are correct.

Perhaps it would help you to check out the differences between the adjective and noun forms before moving on:

• Adjective: The southside mafia is on their way here right now.
• Noun: I didn’t think he came from the south side, but clearly I was wrong.

Is “Southside” One Word?

“Southside” is most commonly used as an adjective. We can group the two words when we want to show that someone or something comes from the “south side,” but we are modifying a specific noun or word to showcase this.

The AP Stylebook allows us to group multiple words when we use them to modify the same word in a sentence. Since “southside” can be used to modify a noun, it makes sense that we can group it into one word to show how the modification should work out.

Here are some examples that should clear things up some more:

1. I would like to go to the southside someday to see what all the fuss is about!
2. We’re not going to the southside docks anytime soon. I’ve heard a lot of problems happen down there.
3. We’re part of the southside crew, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t get what you want out of this.
4. He’s a southside deviant. Be careful around him because he’s always looking for a cheap trick!

Is “South side” Two Words?

“South side” also works as two words. We mainly use it in this way when we want it to be a phrasal noun. In this way, we actually use “south” to modify “side.” The two words then become a noun together, which we can use without any further modification.

AP Style does not have any relevant rules that apply to grouping up noun forms. When it comes to grouping words, it’s only reasonable to expect adjectives and verbs (sometimes adverbs) to be grouped. Any other structure does not follow the same guidelines.

Perhaps you’d like to check these examples out to make more sense of it:

1. I’m from the south side of the city, so I’m not entirely sure how the north side tends to do things.
2. He’s part of the south side crew. I wouldn’t want to mess with him, quite frankly.
3. Are you not a part of the south side anymore? I thought you were with them until the bitter end.
4. He wanted to be like us as part of the south side, but we simply couldn’t fit him in!

Tip To Remember The Difference

Usually, we would refer you to a quick tip to help you understand the difference between the two phrases. However, since “south side” and “southside” are both used, there is no reason to run you over any tips or differences.

Instead, all we can say is that it would help if you stuck to the same spelling throughout your writing. If you write “south side” once, make sure you always write it. Similarly, if you prefer the one-word option, always keep it as one word.

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