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I work in insurance where we refer to our customers as policyholders (one word); however, I always thought it was two. Can anyone enlighten me?

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    Welcome to EL&U. One of the expectations of StackExchange is that you have attempted some initial research, and a lookup of policyholder finds it accepted by all the major online dictionaries. Merriam-Webster dates it to 1846, though I can find examples dating at least as far back as 1815. If that is not enough, please edit your post to explain why. I also strongly encourage you to view the Tour and Help Center, linked under "help" in the black menu bar.
    – choster
    May 1, 2015 at 0:06

3 Answers 3

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I would use "policyholder" in all instances, just because it is the accepted usage universally throughout the industry and really, among the general population. Technically, though, the two-word version could be used in some instances.

For example, if you are writing something like, "a public adjuster is someone who represents insurance policy holders in cases of ..." Most of the time, if the type of policy comes before policy and holder, the two words could technically and correctly be separated. In most other instances, the one-word version, "policyholder" is the only correct way to write it.

As stated, though, just use policyholder in all instances. Correct usage of some words and phrases will sometimes not be recognized by most people, and you may end up compromising credibility, even though you are justified in your usage.

Conclusion - just always use policyholder.

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  • Welcome to EL&U. Please support your answer with references. You could also improve your answer by editing it for brevity. The middle two paragraphs do not add credibility to the answer. Jan 22, 2018 at 4:00
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"Policyholder", written as one word, seems to be the accepted form in both American and British English.

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In this, perhaps the best, AmE dictionary:

policyholder

noun

: one (as a person or firm) granted an insurance policy — used chiefly in life insurance

Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary

thus I'd use this form.

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