The hyphenated term in-house is the only correct way to write both the adjective and adverb, referring to something done with external help. E.g., “We offer in-house company training to all employees.” Furthermore, inhouse as one word or in house without a hyphen are both incorrect.
The term in-house can appear as one of two different word forms, an adjective or an adverb. In both cases, you need to include a hyphen to show that the two words together modify another word in the sentence.
Here is an example of in-house as an adverb. In this sentence, in-house modifies the verb perform.
- We perform most of our work in-house.
Now, here is an example of in-house as an adjective. In this sentence, the adjective in-house appears directly before the noun restaurant and informs us that it is inside the hotel.
- Most five-star hotels have an in-house restaurant.
Furthermore, according to AP Style and the Chicago Manual of Style, you should write in-house with a hyphen.
Moreover, the rules are the same in both the UK and the US.
Now that you have read the basics of how to use the term in-house, please keep reading to learn more about the term and how to use it.
In-House
The term in-house as two words with a hyphen is the only correct way to write the adjective and adverb.
The term in-house refers to something done within a company without external help from other parties or companies.
The below sentence shows in-house as an adjective that describes the noun counsel.
- Any large corporation needs in-house counsel to advise them on legal matters.
However, in the following sentence below, the word in-house describes how the person works. Therefore, it is an adverb.
- I work in-house as a lawyer for HSBC.
Here are some more examples of in-house as an adjective:
- Many companies prefer in-house training programs to ensure their employees are well-versed with company protocols.
- The restaurant prides itself on its in-house bakery that produces fresh bread daily.
- Instead of outsourcing, they decided to develop an in-house software solution.
- The media company has an in-house graphic design team that creates all of their promotional materials.
Moreover, here are some additional examples of in-house as an adverb:
- She used to consult for various firms, but now she works in-house for a multinational corporation.
- After years of freelancing, he was excited to finally be producing content in-house for a major news outlet.
- They decided to manufacture in-house rather than relying on external vendors.
- Instead of collaborating with external agencies, they chose to handle their marketing campaigns in-house.
Inhouse
The term inhouse as one word with no hyphen is not a correct spelling and you should not use it.
Furthermore, although you may come across people writing the word this way in informal English, none of the major dictionaries list in-house as one word.
The following examples show how you should write the term in-house.
- Correct: We do all of our recruitment in-house.
- Incorrect: We do all of our recruitment inhouse.
- Correct: The design team creates all of our promotional materials in-house.
- Incorrect: The design team creates all of our promotional materials inhouse.
- Correct: Our team handles software development in-house to maintain quality control.
- Incorrect: Our team handles software development inhouse to maintain quality control.
In House
The term in house as two words with no hyphen is not a correct spelling. The grammar rule states you need a hyphen for the term referring to something done within a company.
The correct way is to write it with a hyphen because you need to show that the two words are together, so they have the specific meaning of the term in-house.
The following examples show how to write in-house correctly.
- Correct: I am an in-house accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Incorrect: I am an in house accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Correct: She’s been working as an in-house attorney for Google.
- Incorrect: She’s been working as an in house attorney for Google.
- Correct: They hired him as their in-house graphic designer last year.
- Incorrect: They hired him as their in house graphic designer last year.
Example Sentences
In case you want to see some more examples of how to use in-house, we’ve got you covered!
Remember that in-house is the only correct way to spell the word. Therefore, we’ll only show you examples using this variation.
In-house as an adjective:
- The company has an in-house research and development team that is continuously innovating.
- All of our marketing materials are produced by our talented in-house designers.
- The benefits of having an in-house IT team have significantly reduced our downtime during technical glitches.
- Our restaurant boasts an in-house bakery, ensuring that all our pastries are fresh.
In-house as an adverb:
- Instead of outsourcing, we decided to manufacture in-house to ensure quality.
- While we initially relied on external consultants, now we manage our finances in-house.
- Our organization has moved to handling all public relations activities in-house.
- We initially used a third-party service for customer support, but as we grew, we felt it would be better to train and manage our customer service representatives in-house.