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Neha Karve
Use a hyphen (‐) to connect words and indicate that they together carry a single meaning or together describe another word (e.g., forty-two, five-minute break, state-of-the-art facilities). This short dash can also signify a missing word (short- and long-term plans), divide a word at the end of a line, or indicate a range (1995-97).
Over time, words joined together to form a new word lose the hyphen and turn into closed compounds (bed-room became bedroom). Open compounds (such as dining room) are not hyphenated either. Also don’t use a hyphen after an adverb ending in -ly (a dimly lit room, not a dimly-lit room).
To clarify meaning
Since a hyphen joins words to form a single idea, it can change the meaning of a phrase.
Examples
- I saw a man eating broccoli on the train.
an adult male human eating broccoli
- A man-eating broccoli terrorized local residents last week.
broccoli that eats humans
- Medical interns work twenty-four-hour shifts.
shifts that each last twenty-four hours
- Each loader works twenty four-hour shifts a month.
twenty shifts of four hours each
- It was a small-town gathering.
a gathering in a small town
- It was a small town gathering.
a town gathering that was small
Place hyphens carefully to avoid confusion.
In numbers and fractions
Hyphenate numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, including when they are part of larger numbers.
Examples
- seventy-five
- three thousand three hundred thirty-three
- five hundred seventy-seven thousand three hundred forty-one
- the year nineteen ninety-seven
Don’t hyphenate any other part of a larger number.
Example
- Incorrect: three-thousand three-hundred thirty-three
Correct: three thousand three hundred thirty-three
Also hyphenate fractions written as words.
Examples
- a two-thirds majority
- a one-half portion
- two and three-quarters
To connect words in a compound term
Compounds are terms made up of two or more words that carry a single combined meaning. Hyphens are often used to connect these words and indicate that they together mean one thing.
Examples
- a strange mix-up
- a long-lived tradition
- a happy-go-lucky girl
- the new drive-through
Use hyphens to combine two or more words that together describe a noun. This helps group the words together (as a compound adjective) and make meaning clear.
Examples
- an up-to-date calendar
- an over-the-top performance
- state-of-the-art technology
- a well-respected teacher
- a nice-looking house
- a half-baked idea
- a wall-mounted screen
- our long-forgotten home
- a right-handed golfer
- a salmon-pink shirt
- a purple-white sunrise
- a five-day week
- the million-dollar question
- a 300-year-old vase
- a 10-mile radius
But if a compound adjective follows the noun instead of preceding it, omit any hyphens, since it is already clear which word is being described.
Examples
- a calendar that is up to date
- a corridor that is well lit
- a performance that was over the top
When multiple compound adjectives are used, hyphenation can be particularly useful in making meaning clear.
Examples
- twentieth-century avant-garde films
- thrill-seeking mountain-climbing enthusiasts
- a six-week, five-play residency for stage actors
Sometimes, two words may together form a compound noun. The combined word is often hyphenated to eliminate confusion.
Examples
- a spin-off of a popular daytime comedy
- by-products of the petroleum industry
- the fabric of space-time
Not just nouns but compound verbs may also be created by connecting words using a hyphen. The words joined together then form a new verb with a combined meaning.
Examples
- to spring-clean the house
- to oven-bake a pizza
- to cross-check the numbers
Compound terms without a hyphen
Not every compound term takes a hyphen. In fact, hyphens are going out of style, and many compounds are no longer hyphenated. Less rather than more punctuation is preferred, and hyphens are mainly used when not using them would result in grammatical vagueness or confusion.
Open compounds such as the following may once have taken but no longer take a hyphen.
Examples
- real estate
- life insurance
- study table
- wall hanging
- nose ring
- cat food
With use, many compound terms fuse into one word and lose the hyphen altogether. Two words joined together without a hyphen are called closed compounds.
Examples
- bedroom
- seaweed
- doorbell
- spaceship
- backstroke
- setup
- nitpick
- skateboard
- kickboxing
- lifestyle
- rowboat
How do you know whether a term should be hyphenated: short-lived but shortsighted; co-occurrence but cooperation; fundraising but fund-raiser? Check a standard dictionary, such as Merriam-Webster for American English and Cambridge or Oxford for British. In general, American English favors a sparser hyphenation style than British English.
After adverbs ending in -ly
Don’t use a hyphen after an adverb ending in -ly. With such adverbs, the connection between words is easy to follow even without a hyphen, and punctuation is therefore unnecessary.
Examples
- a brightly lit corridor
- a happily married man
- kindly meant advice
- a highly respected publication
After prefixes
Prefixes such as pre-, post-, non-, and co- are often followed by hyphens, especially when the word that follows begins with a vowel. The use of hyphens is more common in British than in American English.
Examples
- pre-owned
- pre-authorization
- co-opt
- co-brand
- non-aromatic
- non-native
- post-absorptive
- re-accuse
Tip
Many words are no longer hyphenated (e.g., preheat, nonessential). When in doubt, consult a standard dictionary (like Merriam-Webster).
With prefixes, the use of a hyphen can change the meaning of a word.
Examples
- Anita can’t recollect what happened that day.
recollect = can’t remember
- Anita re-collected the oranges that had rolled out of the box.
re-collect = collect again
To indicate a missing word
A hyphen can indicate a missing word. When the second part of two or more hyphenated terms is the same word, that word need not be repeated in the sentence. A hyphen followed by a space signifies the omitted word.
Examples
- short- and long-term side effects
- pre- and post-operative expenses
- open- and closed-ended questions
- two- and three-star generals
- a five- to six-page essay
- small-, mid-, or large-cap funds
In phrasal verbs
Don’t hyphenate a phrasal verb. (In a phrasal verb, two or more words together form a verb that means something completely different from the original meaning of the words.)
Examples
- Anita should back up her computer. (no hyphen needed)
- Fill out the form completely before submitting it.
- Poco pointed out all the grammatical mistakes in Lulu’s love letter.
- Something will turn up.
- I once ran across a cat riding an ostrich.
Phrasal nouns and adjectives, however, are usually written hyphenated or as one word.
Examples
- Is this the backup disk?
- This document provides a walk-through of the process.
- The rocket is ready for takeoff.
- Tumkin watched a movie at the drive-in yesterday.
To show a range
You may use hyphens (without surrounding spaces) to show a range.
Examples
- 1997-2004
- January-June 2023
- 2:30-3:00 p.m.
- ages 25-30
- $100-$200
- 10%-15%
- 2-4 players
Note
An en dash (–), which is slightly longer than a hyphen (‐), is generally used to show a range in formal writing. However, this is a matter of style rather than grammar, and while many style guides (such as the Chicago Manual of Style, APA Publication Manual, and MLA Handbook) recommend using an en dash to signify a range, others (like the AP Stylebook and AMA Manual of Style) suggest using a hyphen instead.
To mark a word break
In text, hyphens are used to indicate word breaks at the end of a line. This use is particularly common in newspapers and printed books, where the font is justified.
Hyphens also help break information up in other ways.
Examples
- My name is Phoebe: p-h-o-e-b-e.
- Here is my phone number: 208-443-4425
