Hyphenation refers to the use of the hyphen (-) to either break a word across two lines or connect multiple words for clarity.
1. Using Hyphens for Line Breaks
A hyphen is used at the end of a line when a word must be split to continue onto the next line.
Follow these guidelines:
- If the word consists of two or more smaller elements, place the hyphen after the first part.
- Otherwise, split the word at the end of a syllable.
Examples:
- wheel-barrow
- listen-ing
- inter-national
- compli-mentary
- infor-mation
Avoid Improper Breaks
- Do not split short words or leave only one or two letters at the end/beginning of a line.
- Incorrect:
- un-natural
- Better:
- unnatural (placed on the next line)
- Prefixes before capitalized words always require a hyphen.
- Examples:
- a wave of anti-British feeling
- a neo-Byzantine cathedral
2. Using Hyphens in Compound Adjectives
Hyphens are used when two or more words function together as an adjective before a noun.
Examples:
- an up-to-date account
- a last-minute rush
- a six-year-old boy
However, when the phrase comes after the noun, the hyphen is omitted.
- Correct:
- The accounts are up to date.
- It was all rather last minute.
- He’s six years old.
3. Using Hyphens in Compound Nouns
Some compound nouns are conventionally written with hyphens.
- mother-in-law
- great-grandmother
4. Using Hyphens with Prefixes
Hyphens are used when adding a prefix to another word if it prevents confusion or an awkward combination of letters.
Examples:
- re-elect (to avoid confusion with "reelect")
- re-covering furniture (to clarify it is covering furniture again, not "recovering" as in getting better)
- re-creation (to differentiate from "recreation")
Exception: No Hyphens in Double Nationalities or Ethnicities
Do not hyphenate when referring to multiple nationalities or ethnicities.
- Correct:
- African American
- Mexican American
- Italian German
- Asian American