Setup as one word or with a hyphen ( set-up) is a noun for naming things such as a place setting at a table or a trap for criminals.*
from Ottawa, Canada, sees set up, set -up, and setup used interchangeably and wonders if that's OK. One of Mignon's correspondents inquires about when setup should appear as a single, unbroken word, and when there should be a space or a hyphen between set and up. Here is the latest in a series of tips on usage and style shared by Mignon Fogarty, better known as the one and only Grammar Girl.
