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Phrase:

___ and repair of a slow computers.

Should I use speed up or speed-up instead of ___?

Some dictionaries say that "Speed up" should be used only as a verb and "Speed-up" as a noun (noun adjunct). Some say that both words are totally the same.

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    Everything you say is correct. Some people think the two orthographies are interchangeable (and/or they prefer one over the other in all contexts). Others think the two-word form is a phrasal *verb, and the hyphenated form should be used when it's functioning as a noun. Most people don't really know or care. You won't get anything more definitive than you've already discovered by consulting dictionaries, so it's really just down to different people's opinions. Use whichever appeals to you. By now, plenty of people are happy with one-word speedup* for the noun. – FumbleFingers Apr 16 '18 at 12:17
  • Hi @FumbleFingers, thank you for your answer. It seems that I should have research ELL more before asking - Hyphens –  Apr 16 '18 at 12:26
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    The general pattern is for two-word expressions to gradually transition through hyphenation into single-word forms if they represent common meanings that therefore get used a lot. Also note that *verb* usages usually lag behind *noun* usages in that transition, which may never be complete. So During WW2, civilians often had to black out* their windows during blackouts* (that one never made it to a single-word verb, and probably never will). – FumbleFingers Apr 16 '18 at 13:26
  • The general pattern has probably been covered by a previous question here, but I haven't been able to easily find anything relevant. – FumbleFingers Apr 16 '18 at 13:27

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