Both “Goodnight” & “Good night” are grammatically correct. “Goodnight” is formally used as a salutation & “Good night” can be used as both a salutation & a farewell.
“Goodnight” is used more frequently as a salutation than “Good night”, & is considered more formal. “Good night” is more likely to be used as a farewell than “Goodnight”.
When deciding which word to use, it is important to consider the context & the audience you are writing for. If you are writing for a formal audience, “Goodnight” is the more appropriate word to use. If you are writing for a less formal audience, “Good night” is more appropriate.
Goodnight
We mostly use “Goodnight” as a salutation. When we want to wish someone a good night’s sleep, we say “Goodnight.” It functions as a standalone sentence. We don’t need to add anything else after it.
For example,
1- Goodnight, John.
2- Goodnight, sweet dreams.
3- Goodnight, sleep tight.
4- I’m off to bed. Goodnight!
Good Night
Now again, the “good night” can be used as both a salutation and a farewell. In the case of a farewell, we often add “to you” or “to everyone” after it.
For example,
1- Good night to you, John.
2- Good night to everyone.
3- I’m off to bed now. Good night!
4- It’s time for bed. Good night!
Is Goodnight One Word Or Two Words?
“Goodnight” is one word. “Good night” is two words. It does not matter which one you use. They both mean the same thing. Remember, when you have to write a goodbye to someone at night or compose a letter of farewell to someone, “Good night” is the word you want to use.
Is Goodnight a compound word?
In some dictionaries, like Merriam-Webster, Goodnight is not a compound word, and in other dictionaries, like Oxford, it is.
How To Use Goodnight & Good Night In A Sentence?
Here are some example sentences using both “Goodnight” & “Good night”:
1- Goodnight, John. Sleep well.
2- Goodnight, sweet dreams.
3- I’m off to bed now. Good night!
4- It’s time for bed. Good night!
5- Good night to you, John.
6- Good night to everyone.
7- I’m off to bed now. Good night!
8- It’s time for bed. Good night!
How is Goodnight Spelt?
There are two ways to spell “goodnight.” The most common spelling is “goodnight,” but you may also see it spelled as “good night. While there is no one correct way to spell the word, the most important thing is to be consistent. If you are writing for an audience, it is best to use the spelling that they will be most familiar with. In general, however, “goodnight” is the most widely accepted spelling of the word.