crowd sourcing (crowdsourcing)

Worried whether to write crowd sourcing, crowd-sourcing, or crowdsourcing? Use single-word forms: crowdsourcing (noun/gerund) and crowdsource (verb).

Below are clean rules, many copy-paste corrections for work, school, and casual contexts, quick rewrite patterns, and memory tricks so you can fix sentences fast.

Quick answer

Write crowdsourcing as one word for the concept (noun/gerund). Write crowdsource as one word for the action (verb). Avoid "crowd sourcing", "crowd-sourcing", and "crowd source" in formal and most casual writing.

• Noun/gerund: crowdsourcing - e.g., Crowdsourcing helped gather data.
• Verb: crowdsource - e.g., We'll crowdsource ideas next week.
• Wrong forms to avoid: crowd sourcing, crowd-sourcing, crowd source.

Core explanation: why one word

As the practice settled into regular use, the compound fused. Most dictionaries and style guides list crowdsourcing (noun) and crowdsource (verb).

One-word forms keep writing consistent and cleaner in reports, papers, and public-facing text.

• Crowdsourcing = the process or idea.
• Crowdsource = to carry out that process (verb).

Spacing and hyphenation: stop using spaces or hyphens

"Crowd sourcing", "crowd-sourcing", and "crowd source" are nonstandard. A space or hyphen breaks the compound and reads as two words.

Hyphens were once a useful transitional option for new compounds, but crowdsourcing has passed that stage.

• Avoid: crowd sourcing, crowd-sourcing, crowd source.
• Prefer: crowdsourcing (noun) and crowdsource (verb).

• Spacing: Wrong: The team used crowd sourcing to gather ideas. |
  Right: The team used crowdsourcing to gather ideas.
• Hyphen: Wrong: We used crowd-sourcing for the contest. |
  Right: We used crowdsourcing for the contest.

Grammar and word formation: verb, gerund, past tense

Use crowdsource as the verb: crowdsource | crowdsourced | crowdsourcing. Use crowdsourcing as the noun/gerund. Crowdsourced also works as an adjective.

Watch for incorrect mixes of tense and form (for example, "They crowdsourcing the survey last year" is wrong).

• Verb: to crowdsource → We will crowdsource ideas.
• Past/adj: crowdsourced → We crowdsourced responses; a crowdsourced dataset.
• Noun/gerund: crowdsourcing → Crowdsourcing accelerated the process.

• Tense error: Wrong: They crowdsourcing the survey last year. |
  Right: They crowdsourced the survey last year.
• Adj usage: Wrong: A crowd-sourced file was uploaded. |
  Right: A crowdsourced file was uploaded. | Alt: A file created by contributors was uploaded.

Real usage: work, school, and casual examples

Direct wrong → right pairs organized by context. Copy the "Right" sentence or use the rewrite option below.

• Work:
  Wrong: For our quarterly report, we are crowd sourcing customer quotes. |
  Right: For our quarterly report, we are crowdsourcing customer quotes.
• Work:
  Wrong: We'll crowd source the user interviews to save budget. |
  Right: We'll crowdsource the user interviews to save budget.
• Work:
  Wrong: The team used crowd-sourcing to tag the dataset. |
  Right: The team used crowdsourcing to tag the dataset.
• School:
  Wrong: Students were asked to crowd source survey responses for the project. |
  Right: Students were asked to crowdsource survey responses for the project.
• School:
  Wrong: The grad project relied on crowd-sourcing and interviews. |
  Right: The grad project relied on crowdsourcing and interviews.
• School:
  Wrong: For homework, crowd-sourcing data is an option. |
  Right: For homework, crowdsourcing data is an option.
• Casual:
  Wrong: Anyone up for crowd sourcing playlist suggestions? |
  Right: Anyone up for crowdsourcing playlist suggestions?
• Casual:
  Wrong: I want to crowd-source some recipe ideas. |
  Right: I want to crowdsource some recipe ideas.
• Casual:
  Wrong: Crowd-sourcing worked great for the giveaway. |
  Right: Crowdsourcing worked great for the giveaway.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence rather than the phrase alone - context usually clarifies whether you need a verb or a noun.

Examples: concentrated wrong → right pairs and rewrites

Short corrections and smoother rewrites you can copy directly.

• Pair: Wrong: The company is crowd sourcing new product ideas from customers. |
  Right: The company is crowdsourcing new product ideas from customers.
• Pair: Wrong: We're going to crowd-source the poster design. |
  Right: We're going to crowdsource the poster design.
• Pair: Wrong: Crowd source the answers on the forum and compile the best ones. |
  Right: Crowdsource the answers on the forum and compile the best ones.
• Pair: Wrong: The research uses crowd sourcing to build sample sets. |
  Right: The research uses crowdsourcing to build sample sets.
• Rewrite:
  Wrong: We are crowd sourcing criticisms to improve the system. |
  Rewrite: We're crowdsourcing feedback to improve the system. | Alt: We're asking users for feedback to improve the system.
• Rewrite:
  Wrong: The company decided on crowd-sourcing the app features. |
  Rewrite: The company decided to crowdsource app feature suggestions. | Alt: The company will invite users to suggest new app features.
• Rewrite:
  Wrong: Crowd sourcing our FAQ would save money. |
  Rewrite: Crowdsourcing our FAQ would save money. | Alt: Asking the community to help build the FAQ would save money.
• Pair: Wrong: We crowd-sourced the asset tagging last quarter. |
  Right: We crowdsourced the asset tagging last quarter.
• Pair: Wrong: They crowd source complaints instead of a dedicated team. |
  Right: They crowdsource complaints instead of a dedicated team.

How to fix your sentence in three quick steps

Use this micro-check whenever you spot a spaced or hyphenated form.

• 1) Find the phrase: crowd sourcing, crowd-sourcing, or crowd source.
• 2) Decide the role: action? (verb) or process/concept? (noun/gerund).
• 3) Replace: verb → crowdsource; noun/gerund → crowdsourcing. If it still sounds awkward, rewrite (ask the community / invite suggestions).

• Quickfix: Wrong: The plan includes crowd sourcing. | Fix: The plan includes crowdsourcing. | Better: The plan invites community contributions.

Memory tricks and similar mistakes

Small mnemonics and parallels help stop the error from recurring.

• Mnemonic: crowd + (out)source → crowdsourcing (one idea → one word).
• If you can add -ing and it still reads as one concept, it's likely a fused compound (e.g., crowdsourcing, fundraising, livestream).
• Check modern usage for tech compounds when unsure; many have fused over time.

• Parallel: Wrong: The team did fund raising online. |
  Right: The team did fundraising online.
• Parallel: Wrong/acceptable: We live-streamed the event. | Right/preferred: We livestreamed the event.

Quick editorial checklist

Scan documents quickly with this checklist.

• Search for 'crowd ' and 'crowd-' occurrences.
• Replace spaced/hyphen forms with crowdsource (verb) or crowdsourcing (noun).
• If substitution makes the sentence clunky, use a plain-verb rewrite: ask, invite, solicit.
• Keep usage consistent across the document.

• Check: Wrong: Crowd sourcing saved us time. |
  Right: Crowdsourcing saved us time. | If awkward: Asking the community saved us time.

FAQ

Is "crowdsourcing" always one word?

Yes. Use crowdsourcing as a single word for the concept or gerund. Use crowdsource as the verb.

Can I ever use "crowd-sourcing" or "crowd source"?

Avoid them in formal and most informal contexts. Hyphens or spaces are outdated; prefer single-word forms or rewrite the sentence (e.g., "ask the community").

Which is correct in a report: "crowdsource" or "crowdsourcing"?

Use crowdsource when you need a verb (We will crowdsource ideas). Use crowdsourcing for the process or concept (Crowdsourcing improved the study).

How do I make the sentence less technical?

Replace crowdsourcing with a plain phrase: "ask the community", "invite users", or "collect input from the public".

What if my organization's house style uses hyphens?

Follow your house style for internal consistency, but note broader guidance favors single-word forms. Consider updating house style to reflect common usage.

Quick test - try it now

Swap in crowdsource or crowdsourcing and read the sentence aloud. If it still feels clunky, try "ask the community" or "invite suggestions."

Paste one sentence into the checker above for a direct, copy-paste correction.