Seeing et all in a paper, article, or citation can make you wonder whether it is a special academic phrase. The intended expression is almost always et al., a Latin abbreviation commonly used when a work has several authors. The extra “l” is a spelling mistake, even though the two forms can sound similar when spoken aloud. Knowing the difference makes citations cleaner and helps you avoid an easy-to-miss error in school, research, and professional writing.
Short answer: “Et all” is not the standard expression used in citations. The correct form is et al., which means “and others” and shortens a list of authors or other people. Write et without a period, add a space, and put one period after al.
| Question | Quick answer |
|---|---|
| Is “et all” correct? | No, not when you mean “and others.” |
| Correct spelling | et al. |
| Meaning | “And others” |
| Language of origin | Latin |
| Period placement | After al. only |
| Italics required? | Usually no |
| Common use | Shortening multiple-author citations |
| Pronunciation | Close to the English word “all” when spoken |
What Does Et All Mean?
When someone looks up this phrase, they are usually looking for et al., not a separate English expression. Merriam-Webster defines et al. as “and others” and traces it to Latin forms such as et al. ii et al. iae, and et al. ia. The abbreviation is especially common in scholarly writing because it lets a writer acknowledge several contributors without repeating every name.
The word et is a complete Latin word meaning “and,” while al. represents the shortened form of “others.” That explains both the spelling and the punctuation: there is no reason to add another “l,” and there is no period after et. Once you understand that structure, the difference between the two spellings becomes much easier to remember.
Why “Et All” Is Incorrect
The misspelling looks plausible because English speakers know the word all, and the abbreviation may even sound similar when read aloud. However, all is not the word being abbreviated, so changing al. to all changes the expression rather than spelling it out. Dictionaries and academic writing resources consistently use et al. as the standard form.
Think of the phrase as two fixed pieces: et + al. The first is a complete word and the second is an abbreviation, which is why only the second part receives a period. Variants with a doubled “l,” along with et. al., etal, and et-al, should therefore be corrected when you encounter them in formal writing.
How to Write Et Al. Correctly
The safest standard form is lowercase et al., with a space between the two parts and a period immediately after al. Merriam-Webster notes that the period is the favored styling, while MLA guidance also shows the abbreviation in regular roman type rather than automatically italicizing it. The surrounding comma, year, page number, or other punctuation then depends on the citation style and the sentence in which it appears.
| Form | Correct? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Smith et al. | Yes | Standard form |
| Smith et all | No | Extra “l” |
| Smith et. al. | No | Et is not abbreviated |
| Smith et al | Usually no | Missing the abbreviation period |
| Smith etal. | No | Missing the space |
| Smith et al. | No | Hyphen is unnecessary |
You normally do not italicize et al. simply because it comes from Latin. MLA presents the abbreviation in regular type when it appears in citations, and modern academic conventions generally follow that approach. A specialized journal can still impose its own house style, so publication instructions should take priority when they differ from a general guide.
How Et Al. Works in a Sentence
The abbreviation usually follows the first-listed author’s surname and signals that additional authors contributed to the source. For example, a writer might state, “Garcia et al. examined the results,” rather than inserting every coauthor into the sentence. The exact author threshold and surrounding punctuation depend on whether you are using APA, MLA, Chicago, or another citation system.
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Narrative citation | Garcia et al. (2024) examined the results. |
| Parenthetical citation | The pattern appeared repeatedly (Garcia et al., 2024). |
| General reference | The report by Garcia et al. reached a similar conclusion. |
| At the end of a sentence | Garcia et al. also discussed the issue. |
Because et al. refers to a group rather than one unnamed person, wording around the phrase should reflect that group meaning when grammar requires it. Chicago’s current guidance specifically notes that the abbreviation is plural and cannot appropriately stand in for only one additional person. That point matters especially when authors must be distinguished from similar author groups.
Et Al. in APA Style
APA 7 uses a straightforward rule for in-text citations involving three or more authors. Purdue OWL’s current APA 7 overview says to give the first author’s surname followed by et al. in every in-text citation, including the first citation, unless shortening the names would create ambiguity. A parenthetical example would therefore look like (Gutierrez et al., 2019).
The APA reference list follows a different rule, which often confuses students. Purdue’s APA 7 guidance says references normally list the authors when a work has up to 20 authors rather than shortening every multi-author entry to et al. In other words, do not assume that the in-text rule and the reference-list rule are identical.
Et Al. in MLA Style
MLA also uses et al. to manage works created by multiple people. Current MLA Style Center examples for works with more than two authors show the first author followed by et al., including both works-cited entries and appropriate parenthetical citations. One current MLA example explains that a work with three or more authors is listed under the first author’s name followed by the abbreviation.
Punctuation can look different in the Works Cited list because MLA often reverses the first author’s surname and given name. For example, a works-cited entry may begin with a construction such as “Burdick, Anne, et al.,” while an ordinary reference to the authors would not automatically place a comma between the surname and et al. The difference comes from the citation format, not from a hidden rule that et al. always needs a comma before it.
Et Al. in Chicago Style
Chicago rules depend on whether you are working with notes, a bibliography, or author-date references. Chicago’s documentation guidance shows et al. as a way to shorten groups of authors, but the exact number of names retained can vary by citation system and circumstances. That makes checking the current Chicago rule for your specific document more important than copying an APA example into a Chicago paper.
Chicago also reminds you of the abbreviation’s meaning. Because et al. means “and others,” the omitted portion should represent more than one person rather than serving as a convenient substitute for a single remaining coauthor. When similarly named author groups create ambiguity, you may need to keep additional names visible.
Et Al. vs. Etc.: They Are Not Interchangeable
Et al. and etc. both have Latin origins, but they do different jobs in English. Et al. generally means “and others” and is most strongly associated with people or authors, whereas etc. means “and the rest” or “and so forth” and commonly shortens a continuing list of things. Substituting one for the other can make an otherwise correct sentence confusing.
For example, “Johnson et al.” tells readers that Johnson is associated with additional people whose names are not being shown. A list such as “pens, notebooks, folders, etc.” signals that similar items could continue beyond those named. If abbreviations regularly cause confusion, Readixt’s guide to what OPS stands for shows another example of why context matters when a short form can carry several meanings.
How Do You Pronounce Et Al.?
In American English, et al. is commonly pronounced in a way that can sound very close to the English word “all,” which helps explain why the misspelling appears so often. Cambridge provides American pronunciations for the abbreviation and defines it as a form used in formal writing to avoid listing many names. The important distinction is that pronunciation does not change the written spelling.
When reading a citation aloud, you may say the abbreviation itself or replace it naturally with “and others” or “and colleagues,” depending on your audience. The written version should remain et al. even when your pronunciation sounds like the English word all. Treating sound and spelling as separate issues is the easiest way to avoid this error.
Common Et Al. Mistakes to Avoid
Most mistakes come from treating the phrase as ordinary English rather than as a fixed abbreviation. Once you remember that et means “and” and al. is the abbreviated element, nearly every formatting decision becomes easier. A final citation check should cover spelling, spacing, and punctuation, and it should confirm whether your required style permits shortening the author list in that location.
- Adding an extra “l.” Replace it with “al.”
- Writing “et. al.” Remove the first period because et is a complete word.
- Leaving out the final period. Standard academic styling normally uses al.
- Adding “and” before et al. Since et already means “and,” this creates a duplicated meaning.
- Automatically italicizing it. Major modern citation styles normally use regular type.
- Using one citation style’s author rule for another. APA, MLA, and Chicago do not apply identical thresholds everywhere.
- Using et al. for one omitted person. The expression refers to “others,” not one “other.”
A Simple Way to Remember the Correct Spelling
Use the memory cue “et = and, al. = others.” It is not a literal English expansion of every Latin letter, but it keeps the important visual rule in your head: one “l” and one period at the end. Whenever you are tempted to add that second “l,” remember that all is an English word, while al. is part of the established Latin abbreviation.
Another useful habit is to search your final draft for the most common variants before submitting or publishing it. Search for the doubled-“l” spelling, et. al, etal, and et al without a final period, then check each result rather than using blind replacement. That small editing pass can catch a surprisingly visible error in an otherwise polished paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it et all or et al.?
The correct form is et al. when you mean “and others.” The doubled-“l” version is a common misspelling, likely encouraged by how the abbreviation sounds when spoken. In academic and professional writing, use the two-word form with one “l” in al. and a period at the end.
What does et al. mean in a citation?
It means that additional authors or contributors are associated with the source but are not all being named in that particular citation. The abbreviation comes from Latin expressions meaning “and others.” Its purpose is to keep repeated multi-author citations shorter and easier to read.
Does et al. need a period?
Yes, standard styling places a period after al. because that portion is abbreviated. No period follows et because et is already the complete Latin word for “and.” If et al. happens to end the sentence, you do not normally add a second period.
Should et al. be italicized?
Usually not in modern academic citation styles. MLA guidance, for example, displays it in regular roman type when used in a citation. A journal or publisher may maintain a different house style, so follow specific submission requirements when provided.
Can I use et al. for two authors?
Not under the ordinary APA or MLA rules used for two-author works. APA names both authors for works with two authors and begins shortening with et al. for three or more, while MLA likewise uses the abbreviation for works with more than two authors. Different specialized styles can have their own rules, so the style assigned to your document remains the final authority.
Is et al. only for academic papers?
No, although academic citations are where most people encounter it. Dictionaries also record broader uses in which a named person is followed by et al. to indicate other associated people. In ordinary writing, however, “and others” may sound more natural when you are not working with citations or bibliographic information.
The Bottom Line
If you have been adding an extra “l” to the abbreviation, the fix is simple: change it to et al. The abbreviation means “and others,” contains one “l” in al., and normally takes a period only at the end. After that, consult the citation style required for your paper to determine when the abbreviation should replace additional author names.
For APA, MLA, and Chicago, the spelling stays the same even though the rules for when and where to use it can differ. Correcting that one detail makes citations look more polished and prevents a common error from distracting readers. For more explanatory learning content, you can also browse Readixt’s Education section.
