The standard spelling of this phrase is as two words: “never mind.” The popularity of the alternative one-word form “nevermind” was certainly enhanced by its use in 1991 as the title of a bestselling Nirvana album. “Nevermind” can look immature or slangy to some readers. You can still be cool by imitating the vocabulary choice in the title of another famous album: Never Mind the Bollocks: Here’s the Sex Pistols.
In expressions like “pay him no nevermind” where the word means “attention” it’s always one word, but those expressions are both slangy and old-fashioned.
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Paul Brians' alter-ego makes an appearance on the latest Common Errors in English Usage podcast.
This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.
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