Do you put a space before and after a hyphen?
A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.
Should there be a space either side of a hyphen?
Use no spaces on either side of a hyphen. [For more rules about hyphens, click on Hyphens.]
Is there a space after a long dash?
Most newspapers insert a space before and after the dash, and many popular magazines do the same, but most books and journals omit spacing, closing whatever comes before and after the em dash right up next to it. This website prefers the latter, its style requiring the closely held em dash in running text.
What is a hanging hyphen?
A suspended hyphen (also called a suspensive hyphen or hanging hyphen, or less commonly a dangling or floating hyphen) may be used when a single base word is used with separate, consecutive, hyphenated words that are connected by “and”, “or”, or “to”.
What is the proper way to use a hyphen?
The Hyphen
- Use a hyphen at the end of a line to divide a word where there is not enough space for the whole word.
- Use a hyphen to indicate a word spelled out letter by letter.
- Use a hyphen to join two or more words to form compound adjectives that precede a noun.
- Use a hyphen to avoid awkward doubling of vowels.
How do you use dashes correctly?
Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!
How do you use a hyphen en dash and em dash?
The en dash is approximately the length of the letter n, and the em dash the length of the letter m.
- The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.”
- The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
What is a suspensive hyphen?
What Are Suspended Hyphens? Suspended hyphens, also called suspensive hyphens, replace repeated words, prefixes, or suffixes in two or more compound modifiers. (Compound modifiers, also called phrasal adjectives,1 are multiple words that work together to modify a noun.
What is an em dash symbol?
A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—).