Setup vs. Set up – How to Use Each Correctly

/ September 25, 2019/ Usage

What’s the Difference Between Setup and Set Up?

Setup and set up have similar pronunciations and meanings, but are different parts of speech. Therefore, they follow different grammatical rules and cannot be interchanged.

Setup is a noun that means an arrangement or the act of getting ready.

• If the bride and groom aren’t happy with any aspect of the wedding setup, just let the wedding planner know and he will fix the problem.

Set up is a phrasal verb that means to get ready or to prepare for use.

• I’m very busy this weekend setting up my husband’s surprise birthday party.

Let’s look at some of the ways to use these words in English.

Using Setup in a Sentence

When to use setup: Setup is a noun that usually means an arrangement but can also mean a place to live or a trick or trap to make someone appear guilty who is innocent.

For example,

• The setup for the fundraiser will take several hours, so we’d better get started. (first definition)
• Is this your new apartment? What a lovely setup you have! (second definition)
• I don’t know who put that bloody knife in my car, but I’m innocent! This was a setup! (third definition)

The second and third definitions are more informal, or slang, usages of the word.

Using Set Up in a Sentence

When to use set up: Set up is a phrasal verb that means to prepare something for use or to make arrangements for something.

For example:

• Let’s set up the classroom for the exam by moving all the desks further apart to discourage cheating.
• This is a very difficult cake to bake, and it requires the baker to set up a lot of ingredients and other materials before actually starting to cook.

There are a couple of expressions that use the phrasal verb set up:

• to set two people up: to arrange a date between two people
  • I think Bill and Georgie would be perfect for each other! Let’s set them up. They could go on a date together at that lovely little Italian place.
• to set someone up: to frame someone for a crime they didn’t commit
  • The governor keeps claiming that someone set him up, and that he didn’t embezzle those funds.
• to set something up: to arrange a get-together
  • It was so nice to see you again after all this time! We’ll have to set something up for next weekend so we can spend some more time together. Maybe we can go to that free outdoor concert together!

This phrasal verb set up comes from the verb set, which means to place. Set up is more common than the noun setup.

Remembering Setup vs. Set up

Setup and set up sound the same and they even have a lot of overlap in meaning. However, because one is a noun and the other is a phrasal verb they follow different grammatical rules. Therefore, it is important to remember the difference between the two. You can use the space, or lack of a space, to remember which is which.

Setup is a single word without a space, like most other nouns.

Set up consists of two words, a verb and a preposition with a space in between, like other phrasal verbs.

Outside Examples

• Panera’s CEO once referred to the mass of people waiting to pick up orders as the “mosh pit.” But the chain has reduced wait times and human logjams with a mobile ordering app, touch-screen ordering, and the most humble of advancements: A shelf that houses digital orders waiting to be picked up. Corner Bakery has a similar setup for online order pickups. –Chicago Tribune
• Technically, the setup can handle falling debris or missiles heading to Japan, but it’s not good enough for missiles on a high-lofted trajectory, those with multiple warheads or simultaneous multiple attacks, experts say. –New York Daily News
• An evacuation center was set up at Sunland Recreation Center in the 8600 block of Foothill Boulevard in Sunland and McCambridge Park in the 1500 block of North Glenoaks Boulevard in Burbank. –LA Times
• Since running out of gas this summer, Ms. Soler’s family members have been able to find it only intermittently, buying it as soon as it’s available because the value of their money depreciates so quickly. If the gas runs out again, the family say it is prepared, having learned to cook on the bonfire set up in the patio. –New York Times

Quiz: Setup vs. Set up

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either setup or set up, in the correct form.

1. The man was sentenced to death by electric chair. It was only after he was put to death that the police discovered he had been _____________, and was actually innocent.
2. The university student didn’t have much money, but she had decorated her apartment in a creative way. All her peers agreed that she had a very nice _________.
3. Our parents are coming to visit soon so we need to _____________ the guest bedroom to accommodate them.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use setup or set up? Despite the fact that these words both relate to making arrangements, they are different parts of speech and cannot be used in the same way.

• Setup is a noun that refers to an arrangement.
• Set up is a phrasal verb that refers to making preparations for something.

Knowing which of these is the noun and which is the phrasal verb can ensure that you use each word correctly.

Answers

1. set up
2. setup
3. set up