Why “Open Source Intelligence”

Should Never Be Hyphenated

Here’s a trick question: Is it open-source intelligence or Open Source Intelligence?

If you’re describing a kind of report built from publicly available data, sure — “open-source intelligence” might pass. But if you’re talking about OSINT as a profession, a practice, or a capability in its own right, the hyphen doesn’t just look wrong. It is wrong. Grammatically, stylistically, and — most importantly — organizationally.

Let’s break this down:

In English, a hyphen connects two words working together to describe a third. You see this in phrases like “open-source software” — where “open-source” functions as a compound adjective modifying “software.” It tells us what kind of software we’re talking about: not closed-source, not proprietary — open-source.

But intelligence isn’t software. And OSINT isn’t just “intelligence that happens to be open.” It’s a distinct intelligence discipline. That changes the grammar — and the meaning.

According to the Associated Press Style Guide, if a compound term is functioning as a thing, not a descriptor, the hyphen is unnecessary. Therefore, “open source” is two words when used as a noun, and hyphenated only when functioning as an adjective.

That’s why we don’t say “human-source intelligence” or “signal-source intelligence.” It’s HUMINT and SIGINT — full-fledged disciplines, not just adjectives slapped on a report. The same is true for OSINT.

When you hyphenate “open-source intelligence,” you’re grammatically describing a kind of product. But when you say “Open Source Intelligence,” unhyphenated, you’re referring to an independent profession, with its own specialized training and tradecraft. And that distinction matters — because in bureaucracies, language signals legitimacy and status.

If OSINT is just a descriptor — just “that internet stuff” — it stays below the line without priority: underfunded, undertrained, and overlooked. But if it’s a recognized collection discipline with formal doctrine, specialized tools, and trained practitioners, it receives priority for real resourcing. The hyphen, in that sense, is more than punctuation. The hyphen is a barrier between perception and professionalism. And institutions follow perception.

So yes, grammar and style guides matter. But so does what the language implies. By consistently writing Open Source Intelligence without the hyphen, we’re saying something simple but powerful: OSINT is not a flavor. It’s a profession. Let’s stop shrinking our profession with a hyphen.

A version of this article also appeared in the the “Quarterly News for Army OSINT.” April-June 2025.