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  1. The use of "/" is to highlight the differences or group similarly related?
  2. Do we use "/" as a substitute of "and" or "or" or both?

Designer/Coder Micheal won the Hackathon 2021.

She worked as a Fashion Designer/Seamstress for 2 years before pursuing her Master in Arts.

In the above examples, Designer and Coder, Fashion Designer and Seamstress are related professions but not the same.

If I were to use and as below, do they convey the same meaning?

Designer and Coder Micheal won the Hackathon 2021.

She worked as a Fashion Designer and Seamstress for 2 years before pursuing her Master in Arts.

The example below shows unrelated professions. Are they acceptable too?

She has worked as a Chef/Accountant/Chiropractor/Pre-School Teacher before retirement.

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  • I would understand your example sentences to mean that the people in question were in posts including both tasks. I would not use a slash in the last sentence, because the subject presumably did those jobs in succession and not all at the same time! See this.
    – Kate Bunting
    Jun 3, 2021 at 12:50
  • It varies on context. On a resume or CV where what it separates starts with capital letters so as to indicate a formal job title or job titles, like in your example, it indicates that one held both positions or a single dual position, meaning it would convey "and," not "or." That's because "or" in that context would convey you're uncertain what you're job title was, something any responsible reader wouldn't presume to infer, erring on the side of caution that that is too absurd to be what you intend, thus giving you the benefit of the doubt, if any, which there almost certainly won't be any.
    – Benjamin Harman
    Jul 4, 2021 at 23:30

1 Answer 1

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It can mean both "and" and "or", according to context. Some style guides (for example the style guide for the Oxford University Press) advise not using it to mean "and" to avoid ambiguity, but this use is widespread.

In a context where there is potential for ambiguity or where there is no limit on space, it is often better to write out the conjunction.

In the first examples the use of slash is acceptable, but I see little reason to to say "Designer and coder..." These suggest that Michael's job was both to design and to code.

The long example looks odd. You should not use slash and write instead "She worked as a Chef, Accountant, Chiropractor and pre-school teacher" (presumably not all at the same time!)

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  • I think the author meant developer instead of designer. Most people use developer and coder synonymously.
    – Dhanishtha Ghosh
    Jun 3, 2021 at 12:58
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    To be more precise, I think the slash versions should be used only where you mean that in this case both things were the same job. Michael's job involved both designing and coding (perhaps it was a small firm and he wrote code and also designed the graphics). The "fashion designer/seamstress"'s job included both designing and making clothes. But I don't think the other person had a job that involved cooking, medicine, accounting and teaching all at the same time, and using slashes rather suggests that she did! :-D
    – A. B.
    Jun 3, 2021 at 14:46
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    If I saw someone described as a "chef/accountant/nurse/pre-school teacher," I'd assume that this was a humorous way of describing being a stay-at-home parent of small children, were you have to do aspects of all those different things at once.
    – Canadian Yankee
    Jun 3, 2021 at 19:42
  • The common term "singer/songwriter" implies one whose occupation inextricably involves both aspects.
    – David Siegel ♦
    Nov 2, 2021 at 23:15

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