The Exact Connotation of the Words Co-Founder, Co-founder, or cofounder

It is only right to understand the meaning of a word or what it might depict before tearing it apart to discover if it is true or not. Whether the correct word is Co-Founder, Co-founder, or cofounder; it is essential to know its correct definition.

The word simply means one of the numerous people involved in the establishment of a business or an organization. It can also be referred to as a joint founder.

The use of hyphen in British or American English

Unlike British English which places more emphasis and importance on hyphenating a word, American English is quite flexible when it comes to the use of hyphen. Therefore, a British might write down the word “co-founder” with a hyphen and an American might decide to write it down as “cofounder.” It does not make any of it wrong. Hence, the words co-founder vs. cofounder is dependent on whether it is British or American English.

Proper nouns and incorrect words

A noun denoting a specific place, person, animal, event, or individual entity is known as a proper noun. To use the word Co-Founder (where the word founder is capitalized), it should be done when it is being used as a title.

Examples

Incorrect: Jason, the Co-Founder is in the building.
Correct: Co-Founder Jason is in the building.

For this reason, Co-Founder should only be capitalized when used as a title rather than when used in a sentence.

The contextual use of the word Co-founder

To be used in a sentence, Co-founder has to be used at the beginning of a sentence. It should not be used as a title or in the middle of a sentence. Instead, co-founder can be used in the middle of a sentence. Co-Founder can be used as a title, while Co-founder (founder is not capitalized) can be used when you want to begin a sentence. For example, a Co-founder is the same thing as a joint founder.

Check if you know exactly how to use the word "co-founder"!
Pass this small test to check your knowledge.

Example of using the word “Co-founder”