Properly Punctuated: Hyphen, –

Revised as of
21 Mar 2023

Hyphens work very hard to keep things clear. Separating out numbers and letters. Keeping that text justified without huge gaps between words in a single line. Working with adjectives to ensure the reader has the description the writer wants to convey. Preventing eyestrain with some of those word combinations.

The Properly Punctuated explores . . .

. . . the proper use of quotation marks, commas, semicolons, colons, ellipsis, etc., including how to properly mark dialogue, ahem. As Properly Punctuated is in no way complete, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on punctuation with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.

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Hyphen, –
Punctuation: A single dash, “-“
Definition: Links compound words and separate fragments of words at the ends of a line if you are justifying your text. It is also used as a minus sign, but not recommended. POST CONTENTS: Dashes incorporate Em Dashes and En Dashes Hyphens are used with: Compound Word Compound Number Compound Exceptions Age -ly Adverb Prefix Breaking into Syllables Separate Character Separate Numbers Minus Sign Separate Spelled-Out Letters Compound Word Compound Number Compound Exceptions Age -ly Adverb Prefix Breaking into Syllables Separate Character Separate Numbers Minus Sign Separate Spelled-Out Letters A.k.a. dash
Spacing the Hyphen	Rule: Accepted practice is to insert a hyphen without any spaces between the words. Unless you are using it as a minus sign, then use a space on either side of the hyphen. Although, you should really use a proper minus sign.
Return to top or post contents	well-written 3 – 2 = 1 3 − 2 = 1 uses a proper minus sign, − (hexadecimal code)
Compound Words
Compound Adjective	Rule: Compound adjectives are always hyphenated in front of a noun. A lack of a hyphen can lead to confusion on what is being described. Naturally, there are exceptions to hyphenating a compound word.
Return to top or post contents	well-written well-dressed free-falling snow-covered so-called under-staffed a one-man invasion after-dinner activities a well-loved teddy bear
	Burckmyer has a great example of how confusing it can be to not use a hyphen with ten thousand dollar bills: ten-thousand dollar bills ten thousand-dollar bills ten-thousand-dollar bills
	Rule: Hyphenate before the noun being modified Leave the adjective as an open compound after that same noun, although Chicago, 7.86, states that keeping the hyphen is also acceptable
	Adjectives Without Hyphens Adjectives With Hyphens I love how down to earth Clementine’s parents are. I love how down-to-earth Clementine’s parents are.
	Exception: Never join AFTER a noun
	The stone is free falling. The invasion consisted of one man. Activities were after dinner. The teddy bear was well loved.
Avoid Confusion, Awkward Letter Combinations	Rule: Use a hyphen when not using one can lead to a misinterpretation of the word or to make the word easier to read.
Return to top or post contents	re-sign a petition Somehow, resign doesn’t give quite the same impression shell-like is much easier to read than shelllike semi-independent doesn’t make me feel like my eyes are crossing
Suspended Hyphenation	Rule: Use suspended hyphenation to avoid excessive wordiness (Burckmyer, 149).
Return to top or post contents	The down- and feather-filled pillows are less firm than the foam rubber ones. Less repetitive than the down-filled and feather-filled . . . Each person must decide for him- or herself. When you compare the second-and fourth-class postage rates . . .
Compound Numbers	Rule: Connect written-out numbers between 21 and 99.
Return to top	twenty-one forty-nine fifty-one seven hundred thirty-seven two thousand seventy-six
Compound Exceptions
Age
Return to top or post contents	Year-Old Years Old Rule: As an adjective or noun, always hyphenate Rule: Never hyphenate when it includes years 21-year-old five-year-old twenty-one years old five years of age Rule: Use suspended hyphenation when used as part of a range. fifteen- to twenty-one-year-olds fifteen- to twenty-one years old
-ly Adverbs	Rule: NEVER hyphenate adverbs ending in -ly. See the rule on breaking an -ly adverb into syllables.
Return to top or post contents	YES NO She was a beautifully dressed woman. She was a beautifully-dressed woman.
Prefixes
Basic Prefix	Rule: Use a hyphen after a prefix without spaces on either side of the hyphen.
Return to top or post contents	all- all-inclusive -elect ex- ex-husband president-elect self- self-assured
Prefix and Capitalized Word	Rule: Use a hyphen between a prefix and a capitalized word.
Return to top or post contents	mid-September anti-American T-shirt pre-Civil War
Prefix and Numbers	Rule: Use a hyphen between a prefix and numbers.
Return to top or post contents	mid-17th century mid-1850s
Breaking into Syllables
Knowing about the syllables of a word helps with breaking them down when justifying text or creating line breaks. Rule: Hyphens are required when using justify to ensure your text appears as a solid block of text with no ragged margins. It indicates a word has been split at the end of a line.
Basic Rules of Division	Rule: Make a break between syllables.
Return to top or post contents	syll-a-bles irr-i-tat-ing just-i-fy pref-er-ence hol-i-day in-ter-min-a-ble sup-port
Words Ending in -ing	Rule: In general, break a gerund or participle before the -ing unless there’s a double consonant involved when the hyphen should be inserted between the consonants.
Return to top or post contents	Break at the -ing Break Between Double Consonant driv-ing call-ing plan-ning run-ning
Dividing Compound Words	Rule: Only divide already hyphenated words AT the hyphen.
Return to top or post contents	mass-   produced self-   conscious
Division Exceptions	Rule: Do not divide a proper noun or proper adjective if the parts of the word will be on two separate pages.
Return to top or post contents	Proper Nouns Proper Adjectives Washington Hyderabad Milwaukee German Shakesperian Canadian Wisconsinite
-ly Adverb	Rule: -ly should never start a new line when breaking an adverb into syllables. See the rule on hyphenating an -ly adverb with an adjective.
Return to top or post contents	YES NO lovely love-   ly sup-posedly supposed-   ly beau-ti-fully beau-ti-ful-   ly
First or Last Letter	Rule: Never hyphenate the first or last letter of a word.
Return to top or post contents	The Syllables Divide as… e-val-u-ate eval-u-ate
Two-Letter Suffix	Rule: Never hyphenate a word that leaves a two-letter suffix at the beginning of a new line.
Return to top or post contents	The Syllables Divide as… car-di-ac car-diac call-ed can’t be divided em-ploy-ee can’t be divided fast-en can’t be divided fal-si-fy fal-sify il-lu-mi-na-ti illumi-nati or illu-minati
Separate Characters
Separate Numbers	Rule: Hyphens are used to separate numbers that are not inclusive.
Return to top or post contents	Telephone numbers: 888-555-1212 Social Security numbers: 123-45-6789 ISBN and serial numbers: ISBN-13: 978-0-226-10403-4 5134-WDX7J-KU5K5-XXU7P URLs: https://kddidit.com/2013/08/22/punctuation-the-transforming-hyphen-morphs-into-dashes-ems-and-ens/
Minus Sign	Definition: Used in mathematical equations, the minus symbol is as wide as a mathematical plus sign, and is more appropriate typographically.
Return to top or post contents	Rule: Using a proper minus sign avoids word wrap and accessibility issues. If your keyboard includes a number pad, use the minus sign from that, or: For a PC, I “think” you ensure that Num-lock is on, then on the numeric keypad (not the numbers across the top of the keyboard), you press and hold the Alt key while you type 2 4 6 on the numeric keypad For a Mac, go to the Character Viewer in the tool bar at the very top of the screen > Math Symbols > Minus Sign (−), select the symbol, then Insert In Mac for Word, Edit > Emoji & Symbols > scroll down to find the + and − symbols (for the most accurate minus) If using hexadecimal code, type −
	Hyphen 5 – 3 = 2 Minus Sign 5 − 3 = 2 Plus Sign 3 + 2 = 5
Separate Spelled-out Letters	Rule: Indicates a word is being spelled whether it’s in dialogue, in American Sign Language, or elsewhere.
	Dialogue: “Honey, remember, little Georgie is not allowed c-a-n-d-y before bed,” his wife said. American Sign Language: She quickly spelled out C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A for him.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Properly Punctuated posts on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Hyphen

Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.

“6.5 Hyphens, En Dashes, & Em Dashes.” Module 2: Proposals and Reports. Lumen Candela. n.d. Web. 22 Mar 2023. <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sunyulster227technicalwriting/chapter/6-5-hyphens-en-dashes-em-dashes/>.

Burckmyer, Becky. Awesome Grammar. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press, 2008. <https://amzn.to/3HT5NSX>. Print.

Chicago Manual of Style. Ed. 15. University of Chicago Press: 2003. <https://amzn.to/3JWIwSo>. The 17th edition is the most recent. <https://amzn.to/3JXugJ4>. Print.

“Chicago Manual of Style Hyphen Chart.” Chicago Manual of Style. n.d. Web. n.d. <URhttps://kddidit.com/docsForms/CMOS-hyphenation.pdfL>.

Garner, Bryan. Garner’s Modern English Usage Ed 4. Oxford University Press: 2016. <https://amzn.to/40QJgyf>. Ebook. A solid resource on hyphens under “Phrasal adjectives”.

“Hyphen Use.” Purdue OWL. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/576/1/”>.

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