Question

I am crafting an application and cannot decide whether to use the terms Login/out or Logon/off. Is there a more correct option between these two? Should I use something else entirely (like ‘Sign on/off’).

In terms of usability, as long as I am consistent it probably doesn’t matter which terms I choose, but I did wonder about the origins of the terms – and whether one or another makes more grammatical sense. I also care deeply about the application I am creating, and want to take the time to investigate all aspects of its user experience.

Answer 1

Since you’re looking for correctness,

login, logout, logon, and logoff are all nouns:

'Please enter your login credentials.' 'I see three logons but only two logoffs from this user.' 

The corresponding verbs are each two words:

'Please log in to see your reputation.' 'You must log off and talk to a human.' 

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Update: according to dictionary.com, the various definitions of login are all nouns and involve gaining access to a computer or computer service. Interestingly, logon redirects to login as an exact equivalent. Have the definitions evolved?