'Follow Through' vs. 'Follow-Through': Is There a Hyphen?

Wondering whether to spell it ‘follow through’ or ‘follow-through’? Does the hyphen make a difference? We’ll answer that in this article, plus teach you how to use the correct spelling of the phrase in a sentence.

Need an answer now? Here’s a quick one:

• ‘Follow Through’ is a verb that means to continue a stroke or motion to the end of its arc or to press on in an activity or process.
• ‘Follow-Through’ is a noun that means the final part of a hitting, kicking, or throwing movement.

‘Follow Through’ vs. ‘Follow-Through’

We just learned that without the hyphen, the word means to continue a stroke or motion to the end of its act or to press on in an activity or process.

We also learned that with the hyphen, the word means the final part of a hitting, kicking, or throwing movement.

These words sound the same but mean different things, making them homophones.

‘Follow Through’ or ‘Follow-Through’ 

So, should you use ‘follow through’ or ‘follow-through’ in your writing?

Well, that depends on your intent.

• ‘Follow Through’ is a verb.
• ‘Follow-through’ is a noun.

Therefore, if you’re talking about the action of following through with something, use the non-hyphenated version.

• For example, Mary always follows through on her commitments and obligations.

If you’re talking about someone’s actions, use the hyphenated version.

• For example, Tom’s follow-through on that last pitch was excellent.

Definition and Meaning of ‘Follow Through’ and ‘Follow-Through’

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of ‘follow through’ is to continue a stroke or motion to the end of its arc and to press on in an activity or process, especially to a conclusion.

The same dictionary defines ‘follow-through’ as the part of the stroke following the striking of a ball and the act or an instance of following through.

A few synonyms of the verb include:

• Accomplish
• Achieve
• Carry out
• Bring off
• Negotiate
• Make
• Put through
• Prosecute
• Pull off
• Perform
• Fulfill

Pronunciation: How to Pronounce ‘Follow Through’ and ‘Follow-Through’

Are you wondering how to pronounce these words? Here’s a quick guide.

To pronounce both words correctly, here’s the phonetic spelling:

fOlOh thrOO

How to Use ‘Follow Through’ and ‘Follow-Through’ in a Sentence

Now that we know what the phrases mean and how to pronounce them let’s see some examples of how to use them in a sentence.

Follow Through

• Are you going to follow through on your invitation for an interview with that new job?
• My co-workers and I follow through on all of our work projects.
• I’m not sure I want to follow through with going to Stanford. I think I’d rather go to Princeton.
• I’m going to follow through with my plans to get a margarita after work.

Follow-Through 

• To succeed in this position, you have to have a certain level of follow-through.
• She’s got great follow-through when it comes to making those shots in basketball. She really believes in herself, and it shows.
• Erica has excellent follow-through, among other skills. It’s why she’s so important to the team.
• We don’t think she has good follow-through, but we put her in in the last quarter because we’re already guaranteed to win.

Concluding Thoughts on ‘Follow Through’ and ‘Follow-Through’

To recap, we learned that:

• ‘Follow Through’ is a verb that means to continue a stroke or motion to the end of its arc or to press on in an activity or process.
• ‘Follow-Through’ is a noun that means the final part of a hitting, kicking, or throwing movement.

As you can see, these words mean two different things and, therefore, should not be used interchangeably.

If you ever get stuck on anything, don’t be afraid to come back and review what you learned. We’ve got a bunch of content on confusing words and phrases you might see as you’re learning the language. Don’t be afraid to go check it out.