Hyphenation Guide

Hyphenation Guide

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