What is the proper way to write this term when writing product documentation? Hyphenated or not?
drop down list
or
drop-down list?
If it's just the compound adjective, use drop-down list.
Note, however, that there are classes of components in various frameworks that are called DropDown or DropDownList or various alternatives of the same thing. In such cases use the framework name as is.
In the dictionary it's drop-down: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drop-down
Also "drop-down" prevails on tech websites like apple.com or microsoft.com.
I think that this is the best indicator: http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=drop-down%2C+drop+down&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=
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1The google-books link only compare the drop-down vs "drop down". Here's the full link, also comparing dropdown (combined): books.google.com/ngrams/… – iJungleBoy Nov 22 '17 at 7:49
In the Merriam Webster dictionary, it is drop-down, but it also shows dropdown. — http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drop-down "drop-down or dropdown noun, plural drop-downs or dropdowns "
