I was surprised to see both of these on a recently published spelling test with definitive spellings. I tend to view alright and alot as a more casual (or colloquial) conversational usage, and use it interchangeably, but I always wonder in print which form is best when I do.

formal): There is a lot of money.
casual): We do it alot. We go there alot. We ask alot.

formal): You got the answers all right. Everything seems all right for a moment.
casual): Alright, I'll be there in a minute. It's gonna be alright. That's alright with me. You're gonna get it, alright!

Interesting...I find it more difficult to come up with formal examples of "all right" than I thought.

I was wondering about everyone's habits of usage for these.
And does the OED sanction the alright/alot forms?

Seems to be my night for this.

The use of "Alot" and "Alright" is just ignorance. In my not-so-humble opinion. That having been said, there are an awful lot (a lot) of ignorant people out there, and in spite of my finger being jammed firmly in the dam holding back the sea of ignorance, leaks are springing up all over and I'm getting saturated.

The ignorant may be dispirited about their lack of knowledge of the language. On the other hand, they may just be apathetic ...

I didn't think 'alot' was a word (except with 2 l's), but I'm not at all averse to using 'alright', even in print.

(uh-oh -- I guess I've just aligned myself with the ignorant!)

Dear CK: if "alot" of slobs use them, they are "alright".

Oh my, Cap't K... sorry about that.. i know i use alot of just the sort of things that leave you knee deep in the water!

but think of albeit-- a word, that i think is rather common orally, is found in the dictionary, and has even been round forever (well at least since the 14th C.) but is rarely used in formal writing.. (it does it just seem that way to me.. i can't think of ever seeing it written except in the dictionary.)

it is a conjuntion of "all though it be": and its used to conceed a fact.

I always wonder how the word order gets turned round. i bet some 15th C. scholar was agast at albeit. and felt him self knee deep, awash is falling standards..

well, give up, the waters over the dam!

Alrightnik - One who has succeeded (fem. alrightnikeh)

From Leo Rosten's Joy of Yiddish:
-nik, or -nick (Pronounced "NICK": a suffix from the Slavic languages)
This multipurpose syllable converts a verb, noun or adjective into a word for an ardent practitioner, believer, lover, cultist or devotee of something. Thus, a nudnik is someone who nudzhes or pesters. An alrightnik is someone who has done so well that he is prosperous. We are all familiar, of course, with beatnik and peacenik. The New York Times recently referred to Bachniks, and a friend of mine, dieting, wailed that it was especially hard for her because at heart she was a noshnik.
-Nik lends itself to delightful ad hoc inventions. A sicknik would be one who fancies sick or black humor. A Freudnik would be an uncritical acolyte of the father of psycholanalysis. And recently homosexuals have begun to refer to heterosexuals, with some amusement, as straightniks.

I'm with you, CK, and I'm all wet, as well... :-(

I wondered who was standing on my head!

Yeah. They're two separate words, both times. No exceptions, at least for now.*

~~~
*she said, straddling that ol' prescriptivist/descriptivist fence.

Pocket Oxford Dictionary at work gives alright as a disputed variant of all right

The use of "Alot" and "Alright" is just ignorance.

Dear CapK,

Thanks alot!

I always write a lot and all right as separate words.

I only dread the day that I have to write either as one word in order to be formally correct, and I hope that day won't happen in my lifetime!

Now could I just learn to spell crysalis correctly, I'd be a happy girl!

Best regards,
WeakestWords

I write the words separately. Even though I know the squished up versions are accepted I get an "ugh" feeling when I see them.

My older (1950) dictionary lists 'alright' and says it's an 'unaccepted' spelling. I've always seen this around very commonly, and can't see any objection to it. Why all right but already?

'Alot' is new to me; I've seen it only very recently, on the Internet; except that I rather fancy an American pen-friend of mine also used it years ago, and it struck me as odd then. I doubt I've ever seen it in print. I regarded it as a puzzling spelling mistake until I worked out it was a current Americanism. There is no true precedent for it (*abit, *amoment) where the 'a' is the article, but plenty of eye-precedents, such as aloft and ago and aback.

eye-precedents

Nice term, I like it. Is it an official linguistics term?

Glad you liked it. I do too. I made it up on the spot.

NW,

I like it too. Explains alot [sic] of false analogies out there.
Quick! Send it to the OED! tsuwm and Faldage know all the right people...

I think this is the first time I have ever seen alot [shudder].

Where all right means all correct (Her answers were all right, not a single mistake) I would always (bar typos of course) spell it as two words. Where it implies a grudging acceptance ("Don't slouch." "Alright") I would use the one word variation.

Bingley

I'm with bel - I get an "ugh" feeling when I see these words missing an "l" and squished together. And I'm with CK and Jackie, right there wit me finger in the dyke, grimacing as the waters rise around my ankles, my knees, my waist, my...um...bra....